The number of people who attended a racemeeting during the first six months of the year was down 9% compared with the same period for 2019.

This statistic, released last week by Horse Racing Ireland, didn’t come as a surprise. Yes, there were some bumper crowds at Leopardstown and Fairyhouse in the spring, but we all know consumer spending dropped sharply once the war in Ukraine started in March.

The Punchestown Festival in late April saw some sharp falls in attendance and it’s reasonable to assume that run-of-the-mill racemeetings will have suffered during the summer as the public enjoy returning to GAA games, concerts, weddings and of course going on holidays.

Some critics say going racing is too expensive for what it offers. Let’s take a look. Most tracks charge a standard adult admission fee of €15. Naas Racecourse next Monday (August 1st) is a good example.

It’s actually a very decent fixture with one race worth €250,000. Cork Racecourse have a meeting on the same day and they are charging €20 in. A ticket for the Curragh’s next raceday (Saturday, August 6th) is also €20 but can be bought online for €15 in advance.

No comparison

It’s hard to compare a day at the races with a GAA match. If your club is in a county final and you have skin in the game, then that’s a much more intense experience than wandering around a racecourse for three or four hours.

But overall the €15-€20 price seems quite low, especially as you can bring along under 18s for free.

Some racecourses put on live music but that’s usually after racing, so as not to upset the horses. Leopardstown recently ran a series of Thursday night racemeetings followed by a concert.

People have had so many other parties and holidays to catch up on, and you can’t go to everything

Tickets were €25 (up from €20 in 2019). I went along last Thursday and there was a very good crowd there, clearly mostly racing newbies who had come to see the band (Razorlight) but they were following the racing too.

The grandstand was pretty full and very vocal for the final race. People were enjoying themselves. I’d say there was a very good chance a lot of them will return for Champions Weekend or the Christmas Festival.

Nathan Carter performed after racing at the Galway Races this week. He’s not my cup of tea but he’s undoubtedly a star name and the all-in advance ticket price of €25 (for one of the biggest racedays of the year) is surely excellent value. Of course, you still have to put petrol in the car and we won’t even mention hotel prices.

I don’t think it’s ticket prices to blame for low attendances this year. More likely it’s because people have had so many other parties and holidays to catch up on, and you can’t go to everything.

One date you should put in your diary is Tuesday 16 August. That’s when the annual Hurling for Cancer match takes place at St Conleth’s Park in Newbridge, Co Kildare. Featuring all-star teams captained by Jim Bolger and Davy Russell, the event is now in its ninth year. Tickets are just €10 or €15 for a family. Can’t say fairer than that.