Racing authority to invest €6m in Kildare headquarters

The State racing authority, Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), plans to invest around €6 million in a new purpose-built headquarters.

The body is seeking bids for a contract to build its headquarters at Ballymany, Newbridge, Co Kildare.

The six-acre site is close to the Curragh, the headquarters of Irish flat racing and the base of the Turf Club, which is the body that polices racing.

The new headquarters is likely to cost HRI in the region of €6 million.

The authority intends to finance this from the sale of other property.

Since it was founded under the Horse and Greyhound Act in 2001, HRI has had two different bases, the first, at the Turf Club's property on the Curragh and the other, its present office, at Kill, Co Kildare. It has had plans for some time to establish a permanent base.

The new building will house 150 people and will also be used for its subsidiary activities, including the State-owned pool betting system, Tote Ireland, the racecourse division and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing (ITM).

Former Kerry chief executive, Denis Brosnan, chairs HRI. The authority is responsible for the administration and control of racing in Ireland, controlling the operation of bookmakers, and promoting the sport and Irish-bred horses.

This week, the Minister of Arts, Sport and Tourism, John O'Donoghue, appointed Galway racecourse manager, John Moloney, and solicitor John Power, to the HRI board.