DONCASTER will become the first racecourse since late March to allow members of the public access on a raceday next Wednesday.

The four-day St Leger meeting has been selected by the British government as one of the elite sporting events to reintroduce spectators. Some 3,600 will be admitted on Wednesday, followed by 6,000 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The racecourse’s management has assured the local council that it has undertaken a significant amount of planning to safely hold the event.

Dr Rupert Suckling, the Director for Public Health in Doncaster, said:“There are some stringent tests I would want to see satisfied to safeguard the racegoers and the wider community.”

Irish racing will be watching closely to see if the pilot is successful. The 10 tests Dr Suckling has set out are:

  • No significant increase in the borough’s coronavirus rate in Doncaster ahead of the pilot event.
  • Coronavirus-specific safety requirements met.
  • Closely managing elements of the event including spectators onsite (including at the finishing post) the potential risk from cheering as a spreader of infection, and the wearing of face coverings.
  • Transport plans to get to and from the venue.
  • Ensuring there is no entrance for people from geographical areas with coronavirus restrictions.
  • Accurate data is captured on attendees to help validate who is attending and plan for their arrival and attendance.
  • Enhanced Test and Trace on site and a request to use the NHS app.
  • Real time event monitoring to manage any issues and review how each day has gone. This will enable any changes to be made for the next day.
  • Coronavirus questionnaire with attendees on their health after the event which is part of the feedback the Governments wants on test events
  • Critical incident risks addressed throughout the event such as managing gatherings of people, public disorder risks across the borough.

    • If all of these public health tests are not met, then the Festival organisers do have an option to hold the event behind closed doors without spectators.