Sir, - The Association of Irish Racehorse Owners (AIRO) recently held four seminars to encourage people into Irish racehorse ownership and to prevent the 28% decline in owner numbers from 2009 to 2014.

As I see it, there are basically two ways to become involved in racehorse ownership:

  • A. Purchase an unraced horse – either a foal/yearling, either privately or at public auction.

    • RACED UNRACED

    2 Year Old 44% 56%

    3 Year Old 47% 53%

    4 Year Old 22% 78%

    Source: Krook & Maylin, Cornell University Press quoting British Jockey Club statistics

    These figures indicate that over 50% of such horses are unraced at either two, three or four years. Some 47% or less are raced at those ages and only 2% become stakes horses (win their maiden and then win a stake with minimum of travel).

    The other 45% spend six, 12, 18 or 24 months travelling Ireland at enormous expense to owners in order to get a handicap rating. If they are rated below 45 they are unwanted in Irish racing.

  • B. Purchase horse with form.

    • Private Purchase

    * Less transparent

    * Price not determined by open competition of marketplace

    Public Auction

    * Primary sale for horses in training is one week in the year (October at Tattersalls) where approximately 1,500 are catalogued. There are a few other minor sales during the year. At this sale there is international competition with strong foreign currencies.

    I believe that there is a huge gap for more claiming races in this country. In claimers, horses race with a predetermined fixed purchasing price which accurately reflect their racing ability.

    It is an open and transparent market and there is year-round availability. For example Coolfighter was claimed at Tramore in August and went on to win three races.

    In the US about 40% of races are claiming races. At the Breeders’ Cup the opening card was bookended with claiming races. Did it affect the integrity or quality of the overall card? The answer is no, but it did maintain a degree of inclusivity.

    In France there is an extensive claiming system in their racing programme. The opening race on French Derby day this year at Chantilly was a claiming race.

    In Ireland in 2014 there are 11 claiming races – all flat - out of a total racing programme of 2,485 races. These races are not in fact claimers in the US sense (where price is predetermined, lots are drawn for more than one claim and participants may not claim their own horse, either personally or by proxy with appropriate penalties imposed by stewards for such abuses) but in fact they more appropriately should be called “tendering races” as tenders of various increments are submitted post-race and participants may claim their own horse, which defeats the spirit of the true claiming system.

    In the Irish racing programme a more effective claiming system should be introduced (50-100 races per year) based on US conditions where the claiming price is determined before the race, lots are drawn for more than one claim and owners or trainers cannot claim their own horse.

    New and existing owners would gain as they would have an immediate, cost-effective and transparent structure to join the ranks of racehorse ownership.

    Those unsupportive of such races are a small powerful group of owners and trainers who are unwilling to support these races with their expensive purchases, many of whom end up valued at claiming prices anyway.

    Trainers’ concerns about getting their sales commission in claiming races could have this covered in their Authority to Act agreements with owners.

    Sales companies would lose commissions. In the US sales of racehorses with established form through auction rings is rare and they are usually executors’ sales for obvious reasons. Sale of such horses with established form in the US is primarily through the claiming system.

    SUMMARY

    If Irish racing is to prosper it needs new owners. In 2009 there were 5,480. In 2014 there were 3,953 (1,527 of a loss) – a drop of 28% in five years.

    Racing was started in the UK in the 1700s by members of the aristocracy. It was a private club that for a considerable time did not even publish racing results. It was not intended as a commercial model. We have inherited that model and we need to amend it (a healthy dose of Darwinism – evolve or die!), otherwise Irish racing will continue to haemorrhage owners and it will return to being an elitist sport.

    In 2015 €54.4 million of Irish taxpayers’ money has been earmarked for Irish racing. It needs to be more egalitarian like its French and US counterparts if it is to justify large funding from the Irish exchequer.

    Introducing an effective claiming system (50-100 races, replacing a percentage of 45-65 handicaps) would be one solution to encourage and maintain owners in a cost effective and transparent manner. - Yours etc.,

    RICHARD McCORMICK

    MRCVS

    Dunboyne,

    Co Meath

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