Dortmund Racecourse will hold the first German race meeting since the coronavirus halted racing in that country earlier this year, Galopponline.de reported on Thursday. Racing was originally scheduled to resume on May 1, but government regulations have prevented three meetings-Hannover (May 1), Mannheim (May 2) and Cologne (May 3) from going forward. It is hoped they will be rescheduled beginning on May 5th.
“We have worked a lot in the past few days and have been in constant contact with governments, local authorities and the racecourses since then, Michael Vesper, President of German Gallop, said during a press briefing on Thursday. “We are also deliberately focusing on this week, because we would then have the advantage that not much else is happening elsewhere, so we hope to boost betting turnover.
“On race days without an audience, it is not so important that they take place at the weekend. If we add May 9 in Munich, we are talking about four federal states with which the votes must be taken: North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.”
The next meeting between the German Prime Ministers and Chancellor Angela Merkel is slated for Apr. 30, but racing must be greenlit beforehand.
Vesper added, “It is fundamentally permitted to hold events such as race days again from May 4. The regulations apply until May 3. We are now preparing to start then and talk to the municipalities and those who do have to decide.”
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