VOTERS are being urged to ‘think racing’ when they go into the polling booths in today’s General Election.

While the make-up of the next government is unsure, it is long odds-on that either Sinn Féin or the Green Party, or both, will be part of it and there are question marks over the commitment of both parties to the racing and breeding industry.

Both Sinn Féin and the Greens voted against Government funding for the industry as recently as December, though some observers regard this as more indicative of opposition to the last Government rather than to racing or breeding.

However, a number of prominent racing figures took to social media this week to draw attention to a 2017 statement from Sinn Féin TD Martin Kenny in which he described the horse racing industry as “a club of very rich people”.

The Sligo-Leitrim deputy went on to say that he was mainly concerned over the level of HRI funding which goes into prize money “which ends up with an already very well off and elite sector of society”. Kenny said more should be done for struggling small breeders. “Those of us from a rural community all know people who are involved in keeping horses and are persistently trying to succeed, but are failing most of their time,” he said.

This week The Irish Field made numerous attempts to ask Sinn Féin to clarify its position but no response was received. However, several senior industry administrators said privately that they had found Sinn Féin on both sides of the border to be well-informed on racing and generally supportive.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan told The Irish Field: “Ireland excels at horse breeding and horse sport. It employs a lot of people and brings joy to a lot of people.

“It’s a huge part of our culture and we would seek to continue that. It’s important we do it right and to the highest standards of animal welfare.”

However, the Greens’ support for equine pursuits does not extend to fox hunting. “Our position is against the hunting of wild animals and we have always been consistent on that. There are other forms of hunting, such as drag hunts, which we don’t have a problem with.”

The Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association has been running a campaign to remind voters to only support candidates who they know will support racing and breeding if elected. The ITBA chief executive Shane O’Dwyer would not be drawn on which parties deserved support from the racing community.

He said: “Our industry is a key economic contributor to the Exchequer and a major component of Irish rural life. We need to protect it for the next generation. We are asking breeders to vote for candidates who will put our industry front and centre in any programme for government.”

How the bookies see it

To win most seats: 1/14 Fianna Fáil

Next Taoiseach: 1/16 Micheál Martin

To be in Government (with at least one Cabinet Minister): 3/1 FF-SF, 4/1 FG-FF, 6/1 FF-Green-Ind, 10/1 FF minority, 10/1 FF-Green, 12 FF-SF-Ind

Next Tánaiste: 6/4 Eamon Ryan, 9/4 Mary Lou McDonald.