The betting figures for the opening months this year were always going to be affected by foot and mouth disease (FMD) and inclement weather. However, they are still worryingly low.
The turnover at Irish tracks, pre and post FMD, make interesting reading. There were 13 meetings in February, one more than the corresponding period last year, yet over 125K less was punted. The extra fixtures put on in May (SEVEN more than last term) failed to get the crowds out, and the turnover dropped over 1/2 million to 15.42m.
The betting shops have also seen a drop in turnover, although the loss of many meetings in Britain due to a wet spring was a big factor for Paddy Power, et al.
Yet the largesse of our Government continues unabated. A classic example of the current finances came at Navan on Friday evening. The case for the defence will rightly say that rescheduled meetings always produce disappointing figures, but just take this in.
A total of 94 thousand punts on offer in prizemoney,54 thoroughbreds turned up, and the Tote aggregate for the seven races was 21 thousand. (Yes 21K). Surely someone is embarrassed. The financing of racing could be further complicated if we follow Britain later this year and abolish betting tax in the shops. Is the non-racing tax payer expected to keep their head down and cover the bill?
I hear on the news today that patients at my local hospital in Naas are left on trolleys for at least two days waiting for attention. The health sector is bled dry while racing is awash with money. How long can it last? Probably until Labour are part of a new coalition Government, which could be only around the corner.
The northeast suffered more than most from the FMD outbreak, but there was some welcome news for the area this week with Dundalk announcing plans for a major facelift. The long promised development, combining dog and horse racing, appears to have overcome planning objections, and the ten million project is to be partly financed by the sale of the existing greyhound track plus some surplus land for building.
There is no such thing as a certainty in racing, and that `truism` was again reinforced at Ballinrobe on Tuesday where Jakeal clutched defeat from the jaws of victory. John Murtagh`s mount looked all set to justify odds of 2/7 entering the short straight until veering across the track to the stands rail, leaving Hathlool to gain a fortuitous debut success.
The former champion rider blamed some extra railing on the infield for the `antics` of his mount, but there was a silver lining as the Eddie Lynam-trained juvenile quickly gained compensation at Navan on Friday evening.
Finally, I would like to add my heart-felt congratulations to Aidan O`Brien and all the team at Ballydoyle on the fantastic Derby/Oaks double at Epsom. Galileo looked every inch a champion when sprinting clear of Guineas winner Golan, while Imagine overcame the tricky Epsom undulations to add to her 1,000 Guineas victory at the Curragh. Hopefully this week`s action at Royal Ascot will prove equally fruitful.
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