The amount of money wagered in Irish betting shops last year was up by a dramatic 27 per cent to a total of £927 million, while a figure of almost £162 million was wagered on the country's racecourses.
The figures reflect a general upwards trend in the betting and racing statistics published yesterday by the Irish Horseracing Authority.
Other significant leaps were the 3.4 per cent increase in attendance figures at Irish racecourses, with 1,354,073 people paying through the gates, while Irish racing's prizemoney pot rose sharply by 18 per cent to £24.3 million.
However, most attention rested on the spectacular betting figures after the first full year under the new regime of tax-free betting on the racecourses and the reduced five per cent off course betting tax.
The turnover for on course bookmakers shot up to £129.3 million for the year 2000 compared to 1999's £104.3 million. That was a 23.7 per cent increase while the Tote increased by just over 11 per cent to a turnover figure of £28 million. Betting shops on racecourses contributed another £4.7 million.
Off course betting statistics, however, were just as successful, with the rise to £927 million from the 1999 turnover figure of £730 million. Foxchapel King is set to miss the Pillar Property Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday. The Mouse Morris-trained gelding, who also holds an entry in tomorrow's Cuisine de France Thyestes Chase at Gowran, will not run until ground conditions improve.
"He won't run this week," a spokeswoman for the trainer said yesterday. "It's just the ground is going to get a bit soft so we're going to leave him."
The eight-year-old was an impressive winner of the Intervet Trophy Handicap Chase at Cheltenham in November but has run below form on heavy ground in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury and the Ericsson Chase at Leopardstown since.
Johnny Murtagh, who crowned a magnificent year by riding his 12th Group One winner of the season on Daliapour in Hong Kong on December 17th, is to return there as a club rider from February 19th to March 25th.
If the betting markets are anything to go by, the JP McManus-owned Baracouda looks set to miss the Stayers' Hurdle at the Cheltenham festival.
The seven-year-old, who is trained by Francois Doumen, was instead installed as the 4 to 6 favourite in Coral Eurobet's ante-post betting on the Royal & SunAlliance Hurdle.
The firm removed Baracouda from the Stayers' Hurdle betting, for which he had been 3 to 1 favourite, and promoted Anzum to 7 to 2 favourite ahead of Limestone Lad.
Catterick's meeting tomorrow is the latest to be threatened by the band of heavy rain sweeping Britain.
