HORSE RACING IRELAND (HRI) has closed the Irish racing academy building amid claims of safety risks while back channel efforts by government and local representatives are underway in an attempt to save the centre, The Journal has learned.

The Racing Academy and Centre of Excellence (RACE), in Kildare, is the national training school for jockeys, stable staff, racehorse trainers and breeders – it has a residential programme but also runs professional courses. 

It is understood that HRI moved in last weekend and shut down the centre with immediate effect.

RACE which was established in 1973 is a not-for-profit group that offers support and training to young racing apprentices.

It started as a social project but it has evolved into the national training academy for the Irish horseracing industry offering courses for jockeys, stable staff, racehorse trainers, breeders and others involved in the thoroughbred sector.

The HRI has confirmed that this issue is associated with safety concerns regarding the building itself.

Sources have said that Government officials and local representatives are liaising with HRI to find a way to save the centre. It is understood that the Departments of Agriculture and Enterprise officials are involved in solving the issue.  

A source, with direct knowledge of the situation, said that €250,000 was needed to keep the centre functioning until the end of the year while remedial work was needed on the building itself. 

In a detailed statement, HRI confirmed that RACE could not use its building and said that they had appointed an official to examine the effectiveness of the facility. 

“In early July, the RACE Board and HRI appointed an interim Chief Executive, Darren Lawlor, to protect the financial investment that HRI was making on behalf of the industry, and to fully understand the nature and extent of the supports that would be required now and into the future.

“It has come to our attention that operational matters on site needed to be prioritised in order to make the residential areas of the site safe, and as such a decision has been taken to temporarily close the residential facilities pending the remedial measures that will be required. Alternative accommodation has been sourced for the students who were in on-site residential accommodation,” the statement said. 

The HRI has said that non-residential programmes are continuing at RACE “including all of the programmes which support the licensing requirements from the IHRB”.

It said that operational areas, including the barn, remain open, and all horses are still on site and cared for.

“Work on the future model for RACE, and how RACE will deliver the future educational, training and industry requirements for the thoroughbred sector, is underway, and all participants and stakeholders will be involved in that work,” the statement concluded. 

A statement has been requested from the Department of Enterprise.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine said that the HRI operates under “the aegis” of the Department.

“The Racing Academy & Centre of Education (RACE) is a private body established in 1973 as a social project to offer support to young racing apprentices.

“HRI has informed DAFM that it provides financial support towards the operational running of RACE and DAFM understands that work on the future model for RACE is underway,” the statement said. 

In 2022, the Government gave €70 million in direct funding to the industry via the Horse and Greyhound Fund.

Horse Racing Board

The situation at RACE is the latest crisis to hit the Irish Horse Racing sector in recent weeks. 

Separately, earlier this month the HRI-funded Irish Horse Racing Board revealed at the Agriculture Oireachtas committee that a “grave financial issue” was detected within the board which “does not appear” to be related to the misappropriation of funds or personal gain.

The regulator, which first disclosed the matter to the Public Accounts Committee in June, has engaged the services of auditors Mazars to conduct an independent review of its finances, following a recommendation by Horse Racing Ireland.

The board’s solicitors have drawn up draft frames of reference for the review, and it is determined that this will commence “urgently”. 

IHRB officials are expected to be questioned on the issue by members of the committee today. 

The revelation that a financial matter of “grave concern” had come to light within the organisation first emerged at a sitting of the Public Accounts Committee in June. 

The IHRB published its first ever annual report for 2021 and showed a turnover of over €11.6 million for that year.

It received funding from HRI of €10,149,289, while €1,390,044 was generated from licensing and registrations. There was also €118,120 of capital grants from HRI.

The regulator was established in 2018 to carry out regulatory and licensing functions assigned to the Racing Regulatory body under the Horse Racing Ireland Act. 

It is solely responsible for the making and enforcing of the rules of racing, licencing participants, and regulating horse racing, including equine anti-doping control.