RACECOURSE attendances were up almost 7% for the first half of the year and the Association of Irish Racecourses is optimistic that 2025 will also end on a positive note.

“Please God, we get a good run with the weather,” said AIR chief executive Paul Hensey. “There’s some great racing over the Christmas period. Three meetings on St Stephen’s Day, four days at both Limerick and Leopardstown, and then a brief pause before Punchestown, Fairyhouse and Tramore either side of the new year.”

Betting turnover is very important to racecourses these days and, in an ideal world, tracks would get the maximum benefit if their meetings did not take place in a congested period. Noting that there are eight British meetings scheduled for December 26th, Hensey added: “I wouldn’t like to see any meeting cancelled, but if any of the UK meetings were lost it would probably mean more betting turnover comes our way. So let’s just hope Irish racing gets a good bounce of the ball this Christmas.”

Reflecting on the year in Irish racing, the threatened closure of Thurles Racecourse during the summer was probably the biggest story.

“There were two parts to that story,” Hensey says. “The Molony family decided they wanted to retire from the business. That was one side of it. The second side is the realisation of the economic pressures facing smaller racecourses.

“Thankfully, we got a good arrangement in place. A very good deal was done between Horse Racing Ireland and Thurles, which allowed racing to continue. That agreement expires at the end of the 2025-’26 season, and we shall have to see what happens after that.”

As mentioned above, attendances have been going in the right direction this year, but Hensey says it is the festivals which are driving that trend.

“I think all the major festivals enjoyed great weather this year and, consequently, attendances were up. It’s been a good year too for race sponsorships, generally speaking. The midweek meetings continue to be a bit of a struggle, both in attendances and media rights revenue. Tracks with World Pool races, for example, have done well.”

Rising costs

Costs continue to rise, from everything to providing racegoers with a simple cup of tea to ensuring that all health and safety standards are met.

Hensey said: “In terms of catering that’s something that’s affecting cafes, hotels and restaurants across the country. Racecourses are no different.

“From a safety point of view, the Licensing Committee carry out annual inspections of racetracks, and they make recommendations which have to be implemented. All racecourses are having discussions about what work they need to do.

“There’s things you need to have and there’s things you’d like to have. Looking after owners is an area which has improved a lot in recent years and that comes at a cost. The overall cost of running a raceday is increasing all the time.”

Hensey welcomes news from Horse Racing Ireland that there will be a new capital grant aid scheme for 2026. “A lot of tracks will want to partake in that scheme,” he said. “As tough as things are, you have to commend racecourses for their continued reinvestment in facilities.

“The new scheme is not just for industry-related facilities. There’s scope to invest in customer-facing projects too, such as bars and toilets. It’s the first time in a while we have had that option. So that was very welcome news. Racecourses will continue to invest.”