British racing will be staged at least until the end of March behind closed doors beginning on Tuesday as a precaution against the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, with limits on numbers of essential personnel. Scottish racecourse Kelso had implemented a closed-door policy on its own accord for its Monday meeting to align with the advice of the Scottish government, and England and Wales will now follow suit. The widely expected announcement from the BHA brings British racing in line with protocols put in place by Ireland and Germany. Italy has cancelled racing completely until Apr. 3, and on Monday afternoon-after about two weeks with most or all meetings closed to the public–France announced all racing is off until Apr. 15.
Earlier on Monday, the BHA had announced that it has closed its offices after a small number of office-based staff exhibited coronavirus symptoms.
A statement from the BHA read, “the intention is for scheduled race meetings to take place wherever possible. However, the situation is very fluid at present and decisions may have to be made to cancel meetings. Every effort will be made to notify customers and the betting industry at the earliest opportunity.
“With race meetings due to happen every day, the aim is to agree a programme that is sustainable, in the light of possible staff absences, including in critical roles, in order to protect industry staff and support the wider effort to free up critical public services.”
The plan was agreed by the BHA, the Racecourse Association and The Horsemen's Group.
BHA Chief Executive Nick Rust said, “Racecourses and racing yards are embedded in their local communities and we are acutely aware of our responsibilities to protect public health. The restrictions we are putting in place to close racing to spectators and limit attendees will reduce demand on public services. We also have a range of measures in place designed in response to the government's guidance on public health and we will continue to update these as appropriate.
“We acknowledge that today's decision will also impact on local businesses, especially hotels and restaurants, who are struggling at this time. We are following the government's advice to strike a balance between protecting public health and maintaining business activity and will continue to do so. We thank our customers and staff for their support.”
Weatherbys issued a statement on Monday saying that its offices remain open, with an existing secondary continuity site activated to host 50 members of staff beginning this week. Some members of staff have also taken advantage of remote working capabilities.
South Africa joined the list of countries on Monday whose racing will take place without spectators.
“It's So Important We Try To Keep Racing”
Even before UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson tightened his coronavirus stance on Monday evening, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had put strict measures in place late last week, including banning mass gatherings in that country. As such, while Monday's meetings at Hereford and Southwell were spared from British racing's spectator ban that begins on Tuesday, Scotland's Kelso ran its jumps card out of public view.
Kelso's Managing Director Jonathan Garratt said, “We're racing today with twin objectives, which are the same objectives as Scottish Government and the wider community–to try to slow the spread of coronavirus by not having a crowd, essentially, while also trying to keep economic activity going.
“We offer £1.4-million of prize-money per season, so there's a lot of money that goes into the rural economy, which will help fund the trainers who employ the stable staff and employ feed merchants and farriers–a wider group of businesses.
“It's really essential for us that we're able to give money to them so people can stay employed. We're all going to have to work together if we're going to get through the next few months of this virus-stricken country.”
Trainer Sandy Thomson, who won a race on the card, said it would be “a disaster” if racing were cancelled.
“I keep saying it, but it's so important we try to keep racing, even more so for Flat racing than jumps racing,” he said. “It's a huge industry. Everyone can see what happens on the racecourse, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. There's horses being trained at home and then there's all the studs and breeze-up sales.
“It would be a disaster, especially for the Flat industry, if racing is stopped. A lot of them, I don't know how they'll survive, as they won't have any money coming in. Hopefully everyone can pull together to try to keep the show on the road.”
Tattersalls Set To Go On
The Tattersalls Group on Monday announced that it is its “current intention” to proceed with its sales in March and April at its Ascot, Cheltenham and Newmarket locations with possible restrictions on attendee numbers.
“The Tattersalls Group is monitoring and responding to the directives outlined by the relevant authorities in Britain and Ireland, with the primary aim being to balance the interests of our clients and their livelihoods with the immediate health concerns surrounding the global spread of the COVID-19 virus,” said Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony. “At present the office in Newmarket where Tattersalls, Tattersalls Ascot and Tattersalls Cheltenham staff are based, is operating normally and members of staff can be contacted on the usual office number. At Tattersalls Ireland, the majority of staff will continue with business as usual while working from home until Mar. 29 in accordance with Government guidelines. Individual members of staff can be contacted via email and mobile phones, details of which can be found on the Tattersalls Ireland website.
“It is our current intention to proceed with sales scheduled to take place in March and April at at our Ascot, Newmarket and Cheltenham locations to proceed with as little disruption as possible and in line with Government guidelines. We are conscious that the situation is changing and evolving rapidly, but we are also acutely aware of our ongoing responsibilities to carry out our primary role on behalf of our clients to the very best of our ability.”
Mahony said yearling inspections are set to commence in April as expected.
“We must, however, stress that all of the above events remain very much subject to change, and will at all times reflect Government directives in Britain, Ireland and further afield, as well as commercial realities, the requirements of our valued clients and the health and safety of all concerned.”
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