Westmeath County Council has disregarded appeals to it to stop sponsoring horse racing.

The council has again sponsored racing at Kilbeggan Racecourse, it has emerged, with its “Belvedere House and Gardens” property attached to a €7,080 race there on 13 June 2022.

Last year, the council was urged to end its sponsorship of racing following the deaths of two horses used in races it sponsored.

As previously reported, 6-year-old horse Fredastare was pulled up after he "looked to go wrong" during the €5,900 'Belvedere House, Gardens & Park Handicap Hurdle' race on 3 September 2021. Animal Aid reported that the horse “Broke Down After Jumping a Hurdle” and was destroyed.

A 4-year-old horse named Avondale Smiles was also confirmed dead after being used in another €5,900 race sponsored by Belvedere House on the same day. In the race, the horse "looked to go wrong".

The council’s sponsorship last year was criticised by Westmeath Councillor Louise Heavin (Green Party, Athlone). In a series of tweets, Councillor Heavin said that the Council’s funding for horse racing "made up over a quarter of the [Athlone Moate Municipal District] proposed festival and events budget of €13,900" and that she was "very vocal in my opposition to this".

"Horse racing in Ireland is already too well funded through the public purse," she pointed out at the time. "In my view there are plenty of better ways to spend this money in the community...It's a huge chunk of this budget, to put our name on a race, compared to all of the community groups that have asked for bits and pieces. I really don't think it's fair at all and I would like to see it revisited next year."

A director of Kilbeggan Races is former Westmeath County Councillor, and current Fianna Fail Senator, Paul Daly who was nominated to the Seanad’s Agriculture panel by the Irish Thoroughbreds Breeders Association.

The latest “Register of interests of members of Seanad Éireann” (February 2022) shows that Senator Paul Daly remains a “Director of Kilbeggan Races: Kilbeggan Race Company Ltd, Loughnagore, Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath”. He is a horse breeder who is on record as saying that he has “a severe and serious interest in the sector”.

Horse racing receives massive amounts of government funding - €1.24 billion since 2001, including €76.8 million for 2021 and €70.4 million for 2022.

In an appeal to Westmeath County Council to stop the sponsorship, ICABS stated: “It's unacceptable that Kilbeggan Racecourse is getting money from the Council's limited funds - particularly when it's at the expense of community groups crying out for support. It's an ill-judged decision by Westmeath County Council to align Belvedere House - one of Westmeath's top tourist attractions - with horse racing at a time when more and more people are turning away from the activity following scandals and revelations about cruelty and killing.”

We referred to the ongoing deaths of horses, the incident involving a trainer sitting on top of a dead horse and smiling for a photo (which generated considerable negative publicity for Ireland), a jockey filmed jumping on top of a dead horse as his friends laughed, doping scandals, the punching of a horse and the routine whipping of horses.

The two horses who died following the Belvedere House races at Kilbeggan Racecourse are among the many victims of horse racing. Sickening Horse Racing Ireland statistics show that over 1,300 horses have lost their lives at racecourses and point to point races in Ireland since 2012. These figures do not include the horses killed in training or those who do not make the grade and are destroyed behind-the-scenes.

Statistics have also emerged about the slaughter of race horses. In reply to a Dail Question from Paul Murphy TD, Minister Charlie McConalogue provided figures which show that from 2016 to 2022, a total of 13,484 thoroughbred horses were slaughtered at Department of Agriculture-approved abattoirs.

More Irish horses are exported to be slaughtered in the UK - as exposed in the BBC Panorama documentary “The Dark Side of Horse Racing” which shocked and disgusted viewers. It revealed that horses from Ireland, some believed to be carrying injuries, were forced to endure a 550km journey over land and sea to meet their deaths at an English slaughterhouse.

Disturbing footage secretly filmed by Animal Aid - which is campaigning for a ban on horse racing - was featured in the documentary. It captured the shooting of horses from a distance (resulting in even worse suffering) and the shooting of distressed horses in view of others. Panorama reporter Darragh McIntyre stated that "the scenes are so upsetting, we can't show most of them.”

ACTION ALERT

Urge Westmeath County Council to end its sponsorship of horse racing and redirect the money to worthy community groups and projects.

Pat Gallagher, Chief Executive
Westmeath County Council
CC: Westmeath County Councillors

Email: chiefexecutive@Westmeathcoco.ie; info@belvedere-house.ie; john.dolan@westmeathcoco.ie; tom.farrell@westmeathcoco.ie; aengus.orourke@westmeathcoco.ie; fkeena@westmeathcoco.ie; liam.mcdaniel@westmeathcoco.ie; vinny.mccormack@westmeathcoco.ie; jamie.moran@westmeathcoco.ie; jpenrose@westmeathcoco.ie

SEE ALSO:

Spending €3,500 On Horse Race Is "Complete Waste Of Public Money"
https://www.midlands103.com/news/midlands-news/spending-e3500-of-public-money-on-horse-race-is-complete-waste-of-money/

Councillor opposes council sponsorship of Kilbeggan Races
https://www.westmeathindependent.ie/2021/09/09/councillor-opposes-council-sponsorship-of-kilbeggan-races/

I support Govt funding to racing: Racecourse chairman and horse breeder, Senator Paul Daly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY7_-F-iSFc

More horses confirmed dead following races at Irish racecourses
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2021/08/19/horses-confirmed-dead-following-races-at-irish-racecourses/

Over a billion euros in state grants to horse racing while sports remain underfunded https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2021/04/02/over-a-billion-euros-in-state-grants-to-horse-racing-while-sports-remain-underfunded/

€1,169,000,000 (€1.169 Billion) in Irish Government grants to horse racing https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2021/03/05/e1169000000-e1-169-billion-in-irish-government-grants-to-horse-racing/