Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) has confirmed that it has been given the green light by government for racing to resume from Monday, June 8.
Early on Friday afternoon, Fine Gael politician Peter Burke stated on Twitter, “Horse Racing to return behind closed doors with strict protocols from June 8th. Much needed certainty for the sector.”
HRI later issued a statement in support of this which read, “Horse Racing Ireland today welcomed the confirmation from the Government that race fixtures in Ireland can resume behind closed doors on June 8. Only key personnel necessary to run the fixture will be permitted to be on site where they will be subject to strict Covid-19 protocols. All those in attendance will be subject to health surveying in advance and thermal temperature screening on entry.”
The immediate future of horse racing in Ireland had been thrown into uncertainty a fortnight ago following an announcement that sporting activities in the country would not be allowed to recommence until the third phase of the Irish government's 'roadmap' for the easing of lockdown restrictions, meaning that it was facing a June 29 comeback at the earliest.
However, lobbying by HRI, which set out its plans for returning to a behind-closed-doors scenario with tight biosecurity measures in place, along with a midweek announcement that some equestrian activity can resume in Ireland from Monday, had raised hopes of an earlier return. Racing had been successfully held behind closed doors in Ireland between Mar. 13 and 24 until racing was suspended.
“We are grateful to be one of the sectors permitted to go back to work and acknowledge the responsibility on everybody in racing to ensure the events are run in a safe way,” said HRI chief executive Brian Kavanagh.
“We know from our own experience in March when we safely ran ten meetings behind closed doors—and from what is happening in other countries like France, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and America—that racing can be staged safely within the requirements of social distancing.”
He continued, “With significant input from the IHRB's chief medical officer Dr Jennifer Pugh, we have strengthened the HRI Covid-19 protocols and so, while race fixtures will return in Ireland on June 8, they will be very different from what people will have experienced before.”
HRI plans to publish a full list of protocols on Saturday, followed next week by a series of webinars. Among the new rules will be the fact that only key personnel will be permitted to attend race meetings and that they will be subject to health screenings in advance and temperature checks on race day. Racecourse attendees will be required to face masks and observe social distancing.
Kavanagh added, “I would like to acknowledge the constructive engagement with the government throughout the consultative process through the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed and his officials. It was reassuring that the importance of horse racing as an industry was fully appreciated. The industry supports 29,000 jobs in rural Ireland, and we are the third-largest producer, and largest exporter, of Thoroughbreds in the world, all of which depends on racing taking place on track.
“The decision to allow racing to resume behind closed doors will be welcomed within the industry. For Flat racing in particular, but also for a significant portion of the National Hunt population, there is a seasonal and cyclical nature to the industry and these are key months in the trade and export of horses with proven form on the race track, as well as a vital period in the sales season.
“These will not be race meetings as you might traditionally imagine them, rather stripped back events which will determine the best horses in various categories, a vital factor for the breeding industry. Attendance will be kept to an absolute minimum and Covid-19 protocols will be strictly enforced.”
Among the major racing nations in Europe, racing was allowed to resume behind closed doors in Germany on May 7 and in France on May 11. The British Horseracing Authority is working towards a resumption of racing at Newcastle on Monday, June 1. Italian racing has yet to announce a date for racing to return but a provisional date of June 21 has been set for the rescheduled Italian Guineas equivalents.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
