ARB FACTBOOK

Just the facts ma’am!

OK, so I’m probably the only one old enough to remember the TV show Dragnet, but point is, the Australian Racing Board has just released its annual Racing Fact Book and, once again, it makes for interesting statistics. The accompanying press release is merely a teaser, but with nearly 20,000 races in Australia each year, no wonder we all get a little dizzy by July.

The Australian Racing Board has today released the Racing Fact Book detailing all the facts and figures of the 2011-12 racing season.

“While a number of publications report in detail particular aspects of racing and breeding, the Fact Book is unique in compiling them as one journal” ARB Chief Executive Peter McGauran said.

“Australia is the world’s most diverse and participatory racing industry with 381 clubs, 358 racecourses and 19,168 races in every far flung corner of the country. There is scarcely a community in Australia that is not in close proximity to a racetrack. Our industry is open to all and there is an entry point for everyone as evidenced by the staggering number of 93,140 different owners who own shares in a horse. In addition, there are 4,027 trainers, 989 jockeys and 30,757 racehorses contributing to the 2nd largest industry in the world after the United States.

“The breeding industry once again proved its resilience in the face of tough economic conditions exporting to 18 countries. There were 22,275 mares covered by 765 stallions in 2011 with an historically high 63.1% live foal rate resulting 15,540 foals. The number of yearlings sold (3,875) was down -8.35% on 2010 but interestingly gross sales of $234,010,071 fell by the lesser amount of -5.19%.

“Prizemoney of $435,385,165 was up by almost 2% even without Race Fields taking effect. The successful High Court decision on NSW’s Race Fields legislation introducing a 1.5% levy on the turnover of all wagering operators was the greatest achievement of the year, if not in recent memory, and will markedly improve prizemoney trends in the future.

“Racing is in competition with other gaming, recreational and leisure industries for all segments of the market including families and young people. We can and have to do better to offer a fresh and exciting product to meet the ever changing expectations of punters and racegoers. But Australian racing has a characteristic which no other competitor can match – inclusiveness. It’s an inherent advantage racing needs to capitalize on to remain relevant and prosperous into the future,” Mr. McGauran said.

The Fact Book is available on the ARB’s website www.australianracingboard.com.au