British and French still aiming for May return

BRITISH and French racing authorities remain hopeful of resuming racing in May, despite the lockdown periods in both countries extending into next month.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced restrictions would remain in place until “at least another three weeks” yesterday.

A statement issued by the BHA on Wednesday afternoon said: “The BHA has not set a new date for ending the suspension but plans are in place so that the sport is ready to resume as soon as is possible and appropriate in consultation with government.

“The BHA has been working with trainers, racecourses and other participants to develop a phased plan for resumption which will allow the sport to transition back to its normal fixture list later in the year.

“Our plans continue to allow for a resumption in May, if that is possible. We assume it would be behind closed doors only, at a point when the safety of participants can be assured and the pressure on the health service allows.

“Because of the very strong likelihood that restrictions on mass gatherings will continue, the BHA has decided that racing with crowds will not be possible until June at the earliest.”

British racing stopped on March 18th, just before lockdown measures were implemented.

France

In France, racing was staged without spectators last month before France Galop announced a suspension of meetings between March 17th and April 15th due to the coronavirus pandemic.

While French President Emmanuel Macron has extended the country’s lockdown until May 11th, France Galop and LeTROT, which is the governing body of trotting racing, are “in discussion with the government authorities to explore the possibility of a return to racing behind closed doors as quickly as possible”.

A statement from France Galop said: “Before horse racing was suspended, the industry had shown its ability to organise meetings behind closed doors whilst maintaining an excellent level of risk prevention of spreading the virus.”

Funding for the sport is one issue that is under discussion, with PMU cafes, the main betting locations in the country, closed and unlikely to open when initial restrictions are lifted.

The statement continued: “In the meantime, France Galop and LeTROT teams are finalising a racing programme of major meetings for the month of May, from the date of the restart, as decided in agreement with our supervisory authorities.

Meanwhile, the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale in Deauville and BBAG Breeze-Up Sale in Baden-Baden have been postponed, with no new dates given. There is a considerable Irish presence at the Arqana Sale which could take place in early June or, alternatively, could be added to the July Sale.

Surprisingly the German racing authorities are still working towards a May 1st resumption. Germany’s health minister yesterday said that the country’s coronavirus outbreak was under control, after a decline in the infection rate.

German racing authorities have revealed a six-week programme set to take place behind closed doors, beginning at Hanover and running until the meeting at Munich on June 15th, with locations chosen with the intention of minimising travel.