Racecourse Association Chief Executive David Armstrong described the return of limited spectators to four English racecourses on Wednesday as a “step in the right direction.”
Ludlow, Lingfield and Haydock welcomed racegoers on Wednesday afternoon, while Kempton had a small crowd for its evening card. All four tracks are in 'Tier 2′ areas of the country as part of the government's new system for identifying coronavirus risk levels, meaning they can allow up to 2,000 fans or 50% capacity, whichever is lowest.
Aside from two pilot events in September, Wednesday marked the first time fans have been allowed on English racecourses since racing's resumption on June 1.
“It's definitely a step in the right direction,” Armstrong said from Ludlow. “What I wouldn't describe it as is a pilot or test. It's a step in the right direction, but it's a baby step.
“It is important here at Ludlow today, where 650 people will make it quite a good atmosphere. If you think about most racecourses, if they have 2,000 people, it is barely touching the sides–so it doesn't yet get back to where we create the atmosphere or make it more economically viable. Those are steps that are still to come, but we have to start with a baby step and in the current environment, we are very fortunate to get the opportunity to bring this number of people back so soon.
“I probably wasn't expecting it until after Christmas, so this is a bonus. But the real work is how we bring crowds back at a significant scale, because that is where the economics start to work.”
Armstrong said that as things stand right now and despite the financial hardships of 2020, he expects all of England's current courses to be operating in 2021.
“There are some in a more fragile position than others and if in 12 months' time the crowds weren't allowed back, then I don't think they would all survive, but I'm confident they all will,” he said. “We are seeing the first step of it today. We are on a journey to bring back crowds in sensible numbers, and once we do that, then they will all be fine.”
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