In recent news, Racing TV has announced their decision to keep Irish-based horse races on the air. In their statement regarding the decision, they also explained that the sport will remain on their network at least until 2029. Unsurprisingly, the decision was met with a good degree of positivity. After all, Ireland is a country famous for its horse racing. Considering the fact that the network will broadcast races from all 26 of the country’s fabulous racecourses, it seems Irish fans of the sport will not soon run out of content.

Racing TV Has Won the Bidding War

So, the question here is “how did this come about?” Well, it was only about a week ago that Racecourse Media Group (RMG)competed in, and ultimately won the bidding war for a five-year contract. The contract gives them the right to show footage from all of Ireland’s 26 horse racing tracks.

The contract is excellent news for Racing TV. Ireland is a country famous for their love of horse racing. Some of the most popular and prestigious horse racing events take place in Ireland. And though none of them come close to events like the Cheltenham festival, many are incredibly popular worldwide.

Speaking of Cheltenham, it is worth noting that horse racing’s popularity has massively risen in popularity. In large part, we have excellent Cheltenham betting offers to thank for this. Largely because of different bet forms and offers being introduced, the horse racing industry has grown in popularity.

In other words, now is the perfect time for Racing TV to acquire a 5-year-old contract. Horse racing is growing in popularity. With more fans than ever lining up to watch the latest and greatest races, the opportunity for Racing TV to make some serious money seems ripe.

But That Is Not All!

RMG’s acquisition of Irish Horse Racing rights is just the latest in a line of victories for the company. Earlier in the year, during July, Racecourse Media Group also managed to acquire the rights to over 30 UK racecourses. According to reports by reputable sources, these, as well as the Irish racecourse events will remain behind the Racing TV paywall.

When the news first occurred, the RMG staff was obviously thrilled. CEO of the company, Martin Stevenson exclaimed his appreciation towards his staff and told the press that he is very proud of his business’ reputation. Roger Lewis, RMG Chairman, thanked the people and the company shareholders for placing so much trust in the company. Certainly, Racecourse Media Group is one of the more successful horse racing media companies and this will only boost their status within the industry.

Horse Racing in Ireland

We briefly touched on this before, but Ireland is one of the countries where horse racing is incredibly popular. In fact, the sport is very heavily intertwined with Irish culture. Evidence suggests that from the earliest Irish societies, horse racing has been a staple of their entertainment. Apparently, the Irish people have been training and racing domesticated horses for a very long time. So, it is not surprising at all to find that the passion and love for horses still exists today.

But it isn’t just a love of horses. After all, horses are loved by lots of people, and throughout history, they have been considered one of humanity’s most loyal companions, second only to dogs. The Irish not only love horses, but they love the act of racing them.

Today, the Irish horse racing industry is closely linked to that of Great Britain. Often, we see champion horses, trained by British trainers, whose origins can be traced back to Ireland. It also is not uncommon to see Irish-trained and Irish-bred horses compete in some of Britain’s most popular events. However, even without Great Britain, Ireland has a few excellent and worthwhile horse racing events in its own right. So, in the following section, we are going to take a look at Ireland’s major festivals and share a few notes about them.

Ireland’s Major Festivals

Possibly the most famous and prestigious even in Irish horse racing is the Irish Derby. A Group 1 flat horse race held annually. The race is open to both colts and fillies and is usually held in late June or early July. The Irish Derby is considered by many to be Ireland’s answer to Britain’s Epsom Derby, and it takes place three weeks after the British race.

For any horses aged 3 or older, the Irish Champion Stakes is where it’s at. The 2012-meter race takes place in Leopardstownevery September. It was first established in 1976, and is a Group 1 flat horse race. Every year, it draws in a huge amount of bettors, not just from Ireland, but from all over the world, especially the United Kingdom.