THE exemption which allows jockeys to bypass Ireland’s 14-day quarantine requirement to ride on Group 1/Grade 1 racedays is likely to be extended to all meetings with graded races next week.

Horse Racing Ireland, the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board and the Irish Jockeys Association have discussed the issue and it has been agreed to amend the raceday protocols as soon as the Government relaxes Covid-19 restrictions from Level 5, which is expected in the coming days.

However, there are no plans to allow racehorse owners into fixtures until restrictions are back at Level 2, while the return of racegoers is months rather than weeks away.

Explaining the movement on jockey rules, a HRI spokesperson said: “The Group 1/Grade 1 exemption introduced ahead of Champions Weekend has worked effectively. We did not seek to extend that to other races once the Government moved the country to Level 5 but our view now is that, should Level 5 be relaxed, the exemption can be extended to cover all graded races from that date.

“There will be strict protocols around this and all jockeys must go through the IHRB senior medical officer Dr Jennifer Pugh if they intend to travel.”

IJA chief Andrew Coonan said: “We are very pleased with this amendment. Irish racing has shown itself to have a good, robust set of protocols which protect the jockeys and everyone else at the races. It’s important we continue to observe these protocols but it is also very important that jockeys can ride in graded races both here and in Britain.”

Robbie Power will be one of the chief beneficiaries of the expected rule change. Retained by the Colin Tizzard yard, Power was forced to leave his young family in Meath and base himself in England this season, returning only for Grade 1 racedays.

There are no immediate plans to reduce the 14-day quarantine rule for other stakeholders who wish to attend meetings after being abroad. From Sunday night, Government advice on foreign travel is set to fall in line with the rest of the EU, whereby arrivals only have to restrict their movements for five days if they test negative for Covid-19 at that point. The HRI spokesperson said: “This may be considered next week but for now the 14-day rule for those going racing remains in force.”

Racegoers

Meanwhile in Britain, where owners have been allowed into the races since July, members of the public will be allowed attend most meetings from next Wednesday.

This week the British government published plans to allow a limited number of spectators attend sporting events at outdoor venues from next Wednesday, December 2nd. Up to 2,000 people will be admitted to all four British fixtures on Wednesday. However, tracks in areas with higher Covid-19 infection rates will continue to race behind closed doors. Aintree, Cheltenham and Sandown qualify to admit racegoers but tracks such as Newcastle, Wetherby, Doncaster and Uttoxeter do not.

The Irish Government and the National Public Health Emergency Team appear to have little enthusiasm for a similar move here. Asked about the prospect of racegoers returning to Irish tracks, HRI chief executive Brian Kavanagh told The Irish Timesit was likely to be “months rather than just weeks” before large crowds would be seen at sporting events here, in his opinion, though the widespread availability of a vaccine could speed up the process.