Courses angry at HRI levy deal

RACING: Ireland's racecourses have reacted angrily to Horse Racing Ireland's (HRI) compromise deal with the bookmakers which sees an on-course levy turnover increased to just half of one per cent.

HRI's original intention was to have a one per cent levy on on-course bookmaker turnover to finance the development of racetracks.

However, the threat from bookmakers to pass on that cost to the punter has resulted in a compromise which the racecourses say leaves them seriously out of pocket.

"To have this happen at this late stage has left a lot of people disappointed and angry," said Paddy Walsh, chief executive of the Association of Irish Racecourses (AIR).

"HRI made racecourses top of their agenda in their last strategic plan and said their development was crucial to the industry.

"Based on the one per cent figure we are talking of up to €3 million which is a significant amount. Racecourses then went ahead and planned, budgeted and borrowed money on that understanding.

"We feel it is now up to HRI to find another source of funding to provide the balance promised to us. Half of that money has disappeared at a very late stage and it is of great concern to us," Walsh added.

The AIR are looking for a meeting with HRI, possibly before the end of the week.

"We would hope to resolve this. We would be happy to allow HRI time to find alternative funding but on the understanding that any money would be back-dated to January 1st, as promised," Walsh said.

The new arrangement with the bookmakers was supposed to start on January 1st under the provisions of last year's HRI strategic plan, but that was postponed as protracted negotiations began with the bookmakers.

Under the agreement, the bookmakers will absorb the 0.5 per cent themselves rather than pass it on to punters. They also absorbed the 0.3 per cent rate which previously applied.

Meanwhile, the hearing into the morphine case of the 2002 Hennessy Gold Cup winner Be My Royal will be heard at the Jockey Club in London tomorrow, almost 14 months after the Willie Mullins-trained horse won the Newbury feature.

Tomorrow and Friday have been set aside by the Jockey Club's disciplinary committee to hear the case, and Mullins is travelling to Portman Square to witness the fate of the Violet O'Leary-owned horse.

"It's so long ago now that I'm happy to let the solicitors get on with it," Mullins said yesterday. "It will be interesting to hear the arguments on both sides, but it's a pity it hasn't been resolved before now."

Other cases in Britain affected by morphine contained in a batch of feed-stuff linked to the Red Mills company are waiting on the outcome of the Be My Royal case.

In Ireland there are seven cases outstanding, but two horses have already been disqualified under the prohibited substance rules. They included the Mullins-trained One Night Out.