Coronavirus Steering Group: Racing To 'Continue As Usual'

British racing's coronavirus steering group-comprising the British Horseracing Authority, the Racecourse Association and horsemen-announced racing would “continue as usual” and stressed there was “no need to develop a policy regarding abandonment of any specific fixtures due to coronavirus at this time,” after meeting on Friday. Within the last 24 hours, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Britain has risen from three to 19, and a first case was confirmed in Wales.

“We will continue to speak to government and should a situation arise where this is required then the sport has established mechanisms in place for handling such scenarios,” the statement continued. “The industry group continues to liaise closely with government and plan for a range of contingencies. We would encourage everyone in racing to focus on the government's advice on personal health and their advice to employers and businesses. These are the actions that in the view of public health experts are the most important at this stage. Speculation about potential actions from government or racing, whilst wholly understandable in the circumstances, may simply distract from the advice on which the population is being asked to focus.”