Funding to give HRI 'breathing space'

IRISH RACING:RACING'S RULERS are viewing the coming Oireachtas ratification of the sport's €55 million funding for this year as a "breathing space" while negotiations continue about possible long-term funding.

Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) officials indicated yesterday that negotiations with the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism over the future of the Horse and Greyhound Fund are “up in the air” as the Government continue to struggle with the economic recession.

“There are a huge amount of issues for the Government to deal with and this is just one of them,” said HRI chief executive Brian Kavanagh.

“The question of funding for this year is set to be ratified when it goes through the Dáil and Seanad in the next couple of weeks. That gives us some breathing space while negotiations continue. But at the moment things are up in the air.”

An outcome to negotiations with the Department had been expected by the end of February, but even before that earlier deadline HRI’s chairman, Denis Brosnan, had indicated unease with the way the talks were heading.

“Brian (Kavanagh) and I have found friendlier ears in the past,” Brosnan admitted.

HRI officials have attempted to point the Government towards legislating for the almost €1.7 billion that is bet overseas from Ireland each year tax free.

They have also been emphasising the 27,500 jobs that are in place in the horse and greyhound racing industries.

Such financial uncertainty comes on the back of a surprisingly positive Cheltenham festival for Irish racing, and there is a St Patrick’s Day link to the festival – albeit in 2008 – when Fiveforthree returns to action at Wexford this afternoon.

Last year’s Ballymore Properties Novice Hurdle winner hasn’t raced since the second of two starts at Punchestown last April, but he faces six opponents in today’s two-mile conditions hurdle.

Ruby Walsh again teams up with the grey, who had been set for a novice chase campaign this season but who also worked noticeably well at Leopardstown’s pre-Cheltenham work out session earlier this month.

“He is in great form,” trainer Willie Mullins said yesterday. “He did a fantastic piece of work at Leopardstown and has worked well again since. It looks a good opportunity.”

Two miles will be short of Fiveforthree’s best, and on a strict reading of last year’s Punchestown form he has ground to make up on Salford City whose globe-trotting exploits included a trip to Saratoga in New York last year.

However, his class, and the evidence of that Leopardstown work-out, make convincing arguments.

The all-conquering Walsh-Mullins team will also fancy their Wexford chances with Tawaagg in the second of the maiden hurdles.

The five-year-old was expected to go one better than a second to Herkel on his last Thurles start, but again had to settle for the runner-up spot behind Just Friends. Tawaagg looks to be worth another shot.

Monte Cinto was a high-class handicap hurdler for Paul Nicholls before transferring to Martin Brassil and was expected to score at Fairyhouse over two miles on his last start.

The extra half mile of today’s novice handicap chase should suit him.

The feature at Down Royal is the Guinness Chase over three-and-a-quarter miles, and it’s that distance that could prove key to Arbor Supreme beating One Cool Cookie.

The latter is a former Grade One winner at two-and-a-half, and that still looks to be his best distance, while Arbor Supreme would probably relish farther than this. Paul Townend is sure to turn it into a stamina test and Arbor Supreme should thrive for that.

Dundrum’s form with Sports Line has been boosted at the weekend and Jessica Harrington’s runner looks good for the Down Royal opener.

King Johns Castle is on course for a second crack at the John Smith’s Grand National following a belated return to action at Naas on Saturday.

“He’s come out of the race fine. All being well he’ll go straight to Aintree now, that’s the plan,” said Frank Berry, racing manager to owner JP McManus.