Another bumper racing year

HORSE Racing Ireland reported another bumper year for the sport yesterday, with continued growth in attendances, betting and prize money in 2006.

Attendances reached 1.45m, surpassing the previous record of 1.43m set in 2005. The festival meetings, particularly at Punchestown and Galway, continued to grow while the Curragh recorded a record-breaking Derby weekend and drew 10,000 racegoers to the inaugural Shelbourne Hotel Goffs Million meeting.

Regional tracks such as Ballinrobe, Bellewstown, Killarney and Wexford enjoyed buoyant demand, contributing to the growth of 17,000 in attendances over the 2005 figures. The total number of fixtures (including Northern Ireland) was 319 compared to 313 last year.