ANNUAL REPORT 2011 - Horse Racing Ireland

HRI RACECOURSE DIVISION2011 was the sixth year of operations for the HRI RacecourseDivision (HRI Racecourses Ltd.) which is responsible for:• Leopardstown• Fairyhouse• Navan• TipperaryIn overall terms, the weather did not impact in 2011 as itdid in 2010 where a total of 6 racemeetings were cancelledand a further 6 were rescheduled due to snow and rain. HRIRacecourses ran 70 racemeetings in 2011. This resulted in acombined attendance of 248,157 which represented a 13%increase in attendances on the previous year.The combined Tote betting amounted to €11,844,392, whichis up 43% on 2010, while bookmaker turnover came to€26,611,468, showing a decline of 3% on 2010.HRI Racecourses, as part of the Association of IrishRacecourses, signed a new media deal in 2011 whichresulted in a significant increase in revenues related to thetelevised pictures provided by the racecourses.Leopardstown2011 was a good year for Leopardstown, with 144,464attending the 23 race days. This was up from 121,373 theprevious year, although there were only 22 days racingin 2010. Bookmaker betting for the year amounted to€14,150,144 and Tote turnover was €7,889,969 in 2011.The Bulmers Summer Music Series went very well and thishas established itself as a music festival with a difference.This will continue to attract new entrants to racing.September saw a highly successful Champion Stakessponsored by Red Mills for the first time. The Red MillsMarquee featured a variety of entertainment throughoutthe day. This was very popular and the music was verywell received.Leopardstown was successful in attracting new sponsorsduring the year. In addition to Red Mills, BHP, the Racing Postand Topaz were all new Grade 1 race sponsors. There weremany other new sponsors and all 28 races were sponsoredfor the Christmas Festival. This was a noticeable milestonefor Leopardstown.BHP, the sponsors of the BHP Irish Champion Hurdle, had avery successful day in January. They partnered with the MarieKeating Foundation and had a well supported lunch in thePavilion. This partnership between a sponsor and a charity isa model that the racecourse will look to develop in the future.The refurbishment programme continued during 2011, withthe completion of works in the Tote Hall, Suite Level and theLeopardstown Pavilion. The reaction to the improvementwas very positive and it is hoped that this will result in higherattendances in the future.Leopardstown Golf Centre had another good year in 2011;there were 35,000 rounds of golf played at the Foxrock venueduring the twelve months. The Irish Ladies Golfing Unionaffiliation is a big addition to the offering to customers andattracted many new members during the year. Improvementsto the course continued and this will make it a morechallenging course for the players in the future.Horse Racing Ireland Annual Report 2011 13