RACEHORSE owners and racecourses have been hailed as two of the pillars keeping the show on the road as key industry statistics for 2020 confirmed the colossal impact Covid-19 has had on the sector.

Following a 10-week shutdown and more than seven months of racing behind closed doors, it was no surprise to see attendances and on-course betting down by 90% last year. Significant falls in the amount of prize money paid out and in the value of bloodstock sales at auction were also predictable.