Government's substantial financial support entitles it to demand greater focus on priorities other than just prizemoney
Nearly 3,000 races are run in Ireland annually. What goes into the Horse & Greyhound Fund ultimately boils down to ministerial whim. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
Other sporting bodies look enviously at what racing has got over more than two decades and accuse variously striped governments of giving the gee-gees preferential treatment. Opposition politicians paint vivid pictures of ordinary working people subsidising the rich at play. Racing has long argued for its funding to be ring-fenced and various governments have said no. That might be a control thing, or a political wriggle-room thing, but the result is a certain uneasiness at this time of year for all that State backing has remained notably staunch even in trying circumstances.
The critical focus underlined a growing popular gaze increasingly willing to believe the worst of animal-based sports. If that isn’t checked by systems that supply a meaningful counter argument, then presuming the money hose is going to run and run might presume too much.
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