France Galop

With racing in Britain and Ireland continuing behind closed doors, fellow European nations on the continental mainland are now enduring a temporary shutdown of the racing programme in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, France and Germany became the latest countries to call a halt to racing in the short term, following similar moves by Italy and Spain. France's President Emmanuel Macron imposed a 15-day lock down on Monday evening, while earlier that afternoon France Galop issued a statement announcing that there would be no racing in France...

French horse racing, both for Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds, has been cancelled until Apr. 15, effective Tuesday, as a means to help combat the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. A joint statement from France Galop and LeTROT read, "Our top priority is the health of all stakeholders in the industry and compliance with state directives. By suspending all competition, we want first and foremost to protect them from the current pandemic. With this decision, the French horse racing industry also shows its solidarity and responsibility towards the entire Nation. "We are fully aware...

The French-based Osarus sales company has announced that its breeze-up sale will be postponed until May 12 and 13, in the week after the Arqana Breeze-up Sale in Deauville. Seventy-nine 2-year-olds have been catalogued for the sale, with horses having originally been set to gallop at La Teste de Buch racecourse near Bordeaux on Apr. 8 and the sale conducted the following day. A statement released by Osarus on Friday read, "Due to the rising number of cases of coronavirus during the past few days and subsequent travel restrictions, the...

Heightened awareness of animal welfare causes and the plight of retired racehorses over the past 30 years has dramatically changed the landscape in Thoroughbred aftercare and it continues to evolve as more racing jurisdictions recognize the need for institutional aftercare funding. Organizations forming now to provide safe and meaningful retirement for Thoroughbreds have the benefit of an enlightened racing and breeding industry. In the past, the road to establishing necessary partnerships with racing and breeding organizations was often a dead-end. Now, the path is much more direct. For Au-Delà des...