racecourse spectators

Ascot Racecourse has said it does not expect crowds to return to pre-COVID levels before 2022, and in releasing its 2019 financial results on Wednesday painted a bleak financial picture for the next two years in the absence of continued government support. "Overall, in terms of our long-term financial flight path, we forecast that the Covid-19 pandemic will have set the business plan back at least three years," said Guy Henderson, chief executive officer of Ascot Racecourse. Ascot returned a net profit of £7.3-million last year and a rise in...

The return of spectators to British sporting events has been put on hold due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in the country, a development that racing's tripartite leadership bodies described as "a serious blow to the horseracing industry and to the people and communities who depend upon it for their living." Prime Minister Boris Johnson indicated the hold could last "perhaps six months." Warwick Racecourse hosted 500 spectators for its jumps meeting on Monday, and it was the second time a British racecourse has had fans since racing resumed...