Lingfield Park
THE BHA is, behind the scenes, planning for a resumption of racing when it gets the green light from Government, although this will probably not be until June at the earliest.
The last racing on British soil was on Tuesday 17th March when meetings took place behind closed doors at Taunton and Wetherby. Officially, the British Horseracing Authority, the BHA, has said there are no plans to race again on the flat until May 1st. Being realistic, it’s unlikely there’ll be racing of any description with or without spectators until at least June.
Racing’s licencing authority, the BHA is looking to have racing at tracks which can facilitate strict quarantine conditions for those personnel, including stable staff, needed to stage a race meeting. Two courses in particular are being mooted as hosts of racing behind closed doors and they are Lingfield and Newcastle. Both are high on the list as they have hotels on site which could afford such quarantine conditions.
In addition, both courses would be serving racing’s regional interests in the south and north while the other advantage is that their all-weather tracks would not require much maintenance for several days racing. The logistics of racing with quarantine arrangements are not easy, so the plan would be for a course to stage several days racing consecutively.
To stage a race meeting would require around a hundred personnel and they would include senior jockeys only (to reduce the risk of accidents) stable staff, stalls handlers and officials such as a starter, judge and clerk of the scales. Stewarding could be carried out remotely.
Newmarket, the headquarters of British flat racing is also being proposed as a possible course, although it does not have any on-site hotel. As for racing’s jewel in the crown, Royal Ascot, that is also being considered as a meeting to go ahead but behind closed doors. I wonder if they’d allow HRH in through the back door?
On a day when deaths in the UK from coronavirus passed 10,000, it may seem frivolous to be discussing horse racing at all. Today is a sombre day indeed and all our thoughts go out to those who have lost loved ones from this deadly virus.
To everyone in racing…keep well, stay safe and if possible, have a very Happy Easter…
