By Robbie Butler
It’s interesting to note the trend in English trained horses arriving each Friday night in Dundalk. This is somewhat the opposite of what most assume when we speak about racing. Generally, it is the Irish that take to the air and the seas and arrive in the UK in large numbers for events such as Royal Ascot, Cheltenham and Aintree.
As I have mentioned previously, horse racing in Ireland is one of the few sports where the industry operates on the same standing as that in Great Britain. This is largely thanks to the on-going and substantial support offered to the industry through the Exchequer. While some of the funding provided by the State is channelled into capital investment, the bulk of monies received are used in the prize fund for each race.
A quick look at last Friday’s race cards will explain why English trained horses are arriving here. The equivalent to Dundalk’s all-weather meeting was also staged in Wolverhampton. The table to the right lists the prize money for the winning horse in each race at both tracks. (Dundalk prize money is presented in pounds sterling for comparison purposes).
It’s interesting to note the trend in English trained horses arriving each Friday night in Dundalk. This is somewhat the opposite of what most assume when we speak about racing. Generally, it is the Irish that take to the air and the seas and arrive in the UK in large numbers for events such as Royal Ascot, Cheltenham and Aintree.
As I have mentioned previously, horse racing in Ireland is one of the few sports where the industry operates on the same standing as that in Great Britain. This is largely thanks to the on-going and substantial support offered to the industry through the Exchequer. While some of the funding provided by the State is channelled into capital investment, the bulk of monies received are used in the prize fund for each race.
A quick look at last Friday’s race cards will explain why English trained horses are arriving here. The equivalent to Dundalk’s all-weather meeting was also staged in Wolverhampton. The table to the right lists the prize money for the winning horse in each race at both tracks. (Dundalk prize money is presented in pounds sterling for comparison purposes).
Dundalk offered substantially more prize money to each winning horse. The biggest prize of the night was just over £27,000. This compares with just over £9,000 in Wolverhampton. Is it any wonder that Marco Botti's English trained Pelerin travelled over and took the big prize back to the Newmarket? In fact, Newmarket was also on last Friday. Botti could have made the short trip from his stables to the course. However, the biggest prize on offer was £17,013. A substantial amount but not the £27,000 plus on offer in Ireland.
Botti isn't the only trainer to spot this. The Friday before the English trained Sir Maximillian took home £21,667 for trainer Ian Williams. This could be the start of things to come.
Botti isn't the only trainer to spot this. The Friday before the English trained Sir Maximillian took home £21,667 for trainer Ian Williams. This could be the start of things to come.
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