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Limerick, Thurles, Kilbeggan, Roscommon and Sligo have been offered a 100,000 euro per fixture offer by ARC after they expressed unhappiness with the 5 year deal offered by SIS and RMG.
HRI is preparing contracts for all 26 courses to sign in April but it is understood the five above are not happy with the amount the HRI takes and how much money is distrubted to the big tracks and Dundalk.
Also to complicate matters ARC is interested in buying Dundalk.
Recently Sky Sports Racing announced it had won the rights to Newbury from January 2024 and a new 4 year deal to keep Ascot.
I thought this might happen. It does not make much sense for the smaller Irish tracks to be behind the RTV pay wall.
I was wondering if ARC doesn’t get a deal signed to buy Dundalk and Dundalk stays with RMG if they would think about buying one of the five racecourses that might sign up and build a rival all weather track.
I think we can rule out Sligo. I doubt the terrain there would be suitable for an all weather circuit.
Kilbeggan and Thurles are very much orientated to jumps, so I doubt an all weather circuit would be popular.
I would say Limerick was the most likely venue out of the five.
Popping my head above the parapet here and apologies for the ignorance, but what is the big five? Punchestown, Leopardstown and the Curragh immediately come to mind. Naas also…..plus one other?
I could only think of a Big 4: Curragh, Leopardstown, Punchestown and Fairyhouse. I suppose Naas would be the next on the list of importance, although I would have thought Galway makes more money.
Apologies I misread an article what it actually said was the big tracks and Dundalk, not the top five.
https://www.theirishfield.ie/news-tracks-tempted-by-100-000-media-rights-bid-755703
I have amended the original post.
Thanks. I have a growing interest in Irish racing and a week-long trip there one day is definitely on my bucket list. However, when I saw the reference to the big five, I thought I was missing something obvious, hence my trepidation in posing the question.
The Irish Field carried this as well last weekend:
https://www.theirishfield.ie/news-tracks-tempted-by-100-000-media-rights-bid-755703
Racing Post reporting that the AIR Chief Executive has said they are not entertaining the ARC offer and it is now the sale of Dundalk to ARC which is thought to be delaying the signing of the rights to RMG/SIS.
https://racingpost.pressreader.com/article/281556590085264
Extremely interesting read the last link and with a new all weather track in Tipperary would Irish bosses concentrate the best fixtures there if Dundalk is sold to a non irish company like ARC.
A pity to see Bellewstown abandoned today but I cannot help feeling it is ambitious to try to race in that location at this time of year. They used to only race there in high summer for a reason.
I was very surprised to see a meeting scheduled for Bellewstown on April 1st.
Not so long ago they only had a two day afternoon meeting Wednesday/Thursday in June the week before the Irish DerbyChecking last season’s fixture list, there was a meeting at Bellewstown on 20th April. It went ahead OK. Trying to race three weeks earlier does not look sensible.
There are also two days scheduled at the end of September, which is probably as late as they dare. Given its location it can only be a summer/early autumn track.
I attended the first day of the August fixture a few years ago and highly recommend it.
AIR will meet on 9 May and be asked to confirm to signing up to SIS and RMG until 2029.
The deal was agreed by the media rights last Friday and has been sent to all racecourses and it is hoped they will all agree with the SIS/RMG deal to keep Irish racing on Racing TV for a further 5 years.Big news on the Irish media rights after the meeting on the new post 2024 contract today.
https://www.theirishfield.ie/news-five-tracks-reject-media-rights-deal-764154
It could get interesting now as RMG will have offered a price for all the tracks and fixtures and they have not received what they have bid for.
I wonder if RMG will want to reduce the amount they are offering now.
I wonder if Arc will still want to buy Dundalk, I suppose if they think it’s worth it for 5 years with RMG, Doncaster survived with RMG until that deal ended in the 2000’s so they might buy it and play the waiting game let it trundle on until late 2020s then announce big changes if they buy it.
According to Irish Times the Dundalk sell off to Arc is off, Dundalk were not happy with the fixtures from the HRI but gave in and signed effectively ended any deal with ARC.
Chief Exec of the HRI has blasted the 5 breakaway racecourses and accused them of breaking confidentiality by publishing the details of the secret contract terms.
Suzanne Eade certainly knows how to mediate and calm the situation down, yes Suzanne just start slagging off the courses you should be calmly talking to and finding out what their issues are.
Also ARC have made a statement regarding a deal with the 5 racecourses:
Arc said: “Arena Racing Company and Sky Sports Racing are delighted that the opportunity to develop a partnership with the five United Irish Racecourses is now possible.“We welcome the prospect of engaging in the very near future in detailed discussions with UIR, Horse Racing Ireland and the Association of Irish Racecourses on the media rights for these five racecourses.
“We are excited at the prospect of establishing a significant, valuable and long-term partnerships.”
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