British horse racing coronavirus

The Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) and the Racing Foundation have announced an immediate £22 million hardship funding package to support the British racing industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. The two organisations have combined with other racing bodies to identify the areas within the sport most in need of emergency support. The HBLB is primarily involved with supporting racecourses currently hit by the suspension of racing and a cash sum of £13.5m is being made available in that area, while £8 million has been released for racing's participants, including for...

A combined response from business and council leaders as well as members of the racing community has been launched in Newmarket to aid vulnerable residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The largest training centre in Britain, Newmarket is home to 76 training yards and two racecourses, as well as the British Racing School, Jockey Club Estates, Tattersalls and a number of major studs. The Thoroughbred Breeders' Association, European Breeders' Fund and Racing Welfare are among the racing-related bodies with head offices in the town. At present, the training of racehorses is...

Following the temporary shutdown of racing in the UK on Monday due to the coronavirus, industry leaders from the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), Racecourse Association (RCA), National Trainers Federation (NTF) and the Racehorse Owners Association (ROA) met Thursday morning to work on an assessment of immediate needs and identify funding available from government and industry sources as a priority. This is a change in the industry's coronavirus plan from allowing racing to continue behind closed doors. The BHA is also liaising with key departments in the government to ensure they...

Britain on Tuesday joined France, Germany, Italy and Spain in cancelling racing altogether in the midst of coronavirus, its shutdown set to last until the end of April. Today's meetings at Wetherby and Taunton will be the last before the cancellation takes effect. The British Horseracing Authority had announced on Monday that racing would take place behind closed doors until the end of March, but the picture changed when just hours later Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a tightening of protocols including mass gatherings. "This is a national emergency the...