@Eoin Carroll: Good point

@michael odwyer: Quite. Many years ago I asked a Californian colleague with a mob lawyer uncle what the difference was between the lotto and the numbers game as run by the mob.
Here answer – the mob would never have dared give such bad odds.

@: if its such a money maker (like grayhound racing apparently), then why is the tax payer paying towards it?

If its so profitable it should be able to stand on its own two feet.

The reality is it cannot and it needs the tax payer money.
But since you claim its so great lets strip it off the tax payer money and see how well it can live.

Horse racing is an obscenity!
It’s not a sport it’s animal cruelty in support of the gambling industry nothing else.
It should be banned outright.
Greyhound racing is just as bad.

@Martin Bishop: One of the major reasons why horse racing needs support is because the bookies have bled it white for generations. Owners carry it, You have horses costing hundreds of thousands running around a course for a winners prize four or five thousand.
Where you have pari mutual betting keeping money in the sport itself you have much better prize money.

@Martin Bishop: ask the Department for Agriculture. they insist on keeping the sport in their corner . The money comes from breeding and sales not the racing . It costs hundreds of thousands to run a racing yard as its labour intensive . There’s are only about 7 trainers with any hope of winning pattern races (group 1 to 3 ) in flat racing : the three O’Briens , Harrington , Bolger , Weld and Lyon’s . Jumps , only about 4 of them have serious chances of winning good pattern races ; W Mullins , Harrington , Elliott , de Bromhead (every now and again an O’Brien might pop up. )

Ireland is small compared to England in terms of ability to hold meetings every day – arguably better to have quality than quantity .

@Steve O’Hara Smith.: it’s a sport and has been a sport since the dawn of man . Look up what the word “sport” means ! Very much falls under the meaning , just like motor sport does

@Andy Felthersnatch: but banning advert doesn’t help none the less,

Changing the narrative from look how great smoking is, look how it sponsors everything to what we have now helped shift how our society viewed smoking.

It won’t stop everyone, but it can help drastically change things for the majority.

@Christy Dolan: I love how you admit in your first sentence that you’re about to unload some woeful nonsense Christy. Knew by the name anyway to be fair, but cheers for the heads up anyway

@Bill Spill: Son, it says a lot about your man hood that you felt obliged to distort the what was clearly said because you haven’t anything to say. Of course , one can’t rule out that your reading and comprehension inadequacies could be down to your lack of intelligence . Of course , you aren’t man enough to set out why it’s nonsense . I only wish you’d have the balls to utter that in person. I’d unman you without lifting a finger . The more watching the better. Get back into your box and know your place . You Haven’t got a clue

@Bill Spill: maybe learn to read and comprehend that first sentence . When you master that in the next few hours, slowly move onto the next sentence. It might be beyond you, but I’m sure that your assistant will let you know what a spineless person effort last statement was . I really do love watching gormless upstarts be so oblivious and stupid enough to think that they are remotely capable of running their mouth against their superiors . They ALWAYS fall flat at the first hurdle. Go take your feelings elsewhere chief ! You ain’t man enough for this

@Bill Spill: your inability to read and comprehend and inability understand how professional sport works , is your problem. Take your failures and inadequacies as a “man” somewhere else ! Ann and Barry books might be a good start .