Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) has announced a three-year partnership with Aer Lingus College Football Classic, the horse race that will become part of American College Football’s annual celebration in Ireland with a Stars-themed race night. and Stripes at Leopardstown Racecourse. This year’s event will take place on Thursday, August 24.
This year’s Classics featuring Notre Dame Vs Navy is estimated to be worth more than €147 million to the Irish economy, the Leopardstown Racecourse Stars and Stripes schedule will be one of c. 50 official events take place in the week before the game and look forward to welcoming some of the 40,000 International visitors expected to arrive in Ireland with domestic spectators.
Ireland has a rich racing history and is the training ground for many of the world’s top thoroughbred horses. Furthermore, there is a close relationship between Ireland and the USA in the Racing & Livestock industry. Last year alone, US-based buyers spent €18.8 million on Irish thoroughbred horses, up €2.1 million from the previous year’s sales value. The 2022 sales figures for US buyers represent a 55% increase over the course of the past five years compared to the €8.5 million figure recorded in 2018.
A total of 142 Irish horses were sold and exported to the United States in 2022 with a total value of €18,888,705. While the North American flock market (Pureblood Market) is the most valuable in the world with public sales in 2022 of more than 1.2 billion euros, Ireland’s public blood flock sales are worth more than 1.2 billion euros. price of 538 million euros last year, the second highest in the world.
According to the Deloitte report commissioned by HRI – Economic and Social Impacts of Irish Thoroughbred Breeding and Racing 2023 published last month, sales of Irish crossbreeds in 2022 are estimated to be worth about 120 million euros. This puts the total value of Ireland’s blood flock sales last year at €658 million.
More than a quarter of all registered owners of Irish racehorses live abroad and the US is home to about 20% of these foreign owners, making it a foreign market. second largest in terms of racehorse ownership in Ireland after the United Kingdom.
Irish Thoroughbred Marketing (ITM), a subsidiary of Irish Horse Racing, is a non-profit, semi-state organization whose mission is to promote Ireland as a leading source for the production and sale of quality thoroughbred horses. quantity. ITM has focused on developing the US market over the past few years, resulting in strong interest from US buyers and year-over-year revenue growth.
HRI will be hosting a Star and Stripe themed race day at Leopardstown on Thursday, August 24 as part of a calendar of activities in support of the sold-out Aer Lingus College Football Classic match between Notre Dame and Navy at Aviva Stadium on Saturday, August 26. The America-themed race event will feature live music and American Football activities along with a race card full of on-track action.
“The U.S. stallion market is the largest in the world, yet has an international reputation for equine production,” said Paul Dermody, CEO of HRI Racecourses and Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer of HRI. of Ireland is attracting significant interest from US buyers and has resulted in five-year growth in blood sales to US buyers.
The team at Irish Purebred Marketing is doing a great job in attracting US buyers to Ireland and developing that segment of the foreign buyer market in both public and private sales.
The relationship between Ireland’s horse racing and the US has never been stronger with a string of Irish-bred Class 1 winners in the US in 2022 and the likes of Joseph O’Brien being backed by US investors. backing to establish a satellite yard at Saratoga in New York . HRI’s partnership with Aer Lingus College Football Classic will allow us to develop new avenues to connect with US buyers and further strengthen our offering to US buyers.”
Tim Husband, CEO of Leopardstown Racecourse, commented: “Leopardstown Racecourse and Aer Lingus College Football Classic have a common ambition to grow our respective sports by introducing new audiences.
As the only racecourse in Dublin, we’re often the first place many tourists meet with Racing Ireland, so it’s important to us to deliver a great experience. The creation of Stars and Stripes Race Day was to develop a sporting event that celebrated the best of Ireland’s music, sport and dance with the joy of an American back gate party.
The ALCFC will spark a great atmosphere around the city of Dublin, will enhance the travel experience for thousands of US visitors, will help generate great economic returns for the city, and we’re really excited. be a part of it”.
Brendan Meehan, ALCFC’s Commercial Director, said, “Equestrian racing in Ireland is very popular and plays an important role in the relationship between Ireland and the US, hence the reason to host the Stars and Stripes race at the Racecourse. Leopardstown on the Thursday night before the game will provide a great experience the opportunity for US visitors to experience the fun, atmosphere and everything that Leopardstown has to offer.
“There’s a natural synergy between the riders and the people who will come to our game. They want to experience something different, they want to have fun and witness the intrigue, the excitement. razzamatazz and spectacle.”
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