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Racecourse Association Chief Executive David Armstrong described the return of limited spectators to four English racecourses on Wednesday as a “step in the right direction.”

Ludlow, Lingfield and Haydock welcomed racegoers on Wednesday afternoon, while Kempton had a small crowd for its evening card. All four tracks are in ‘Tier 2′ areas of the country as part of the government’s new system for identifying coronavirus risk levels, meaning they can allow up to 2,000 fans or 50% capacity, whichever is lowest.

Aside from two pilot events in September, Wednesday marked the first time fans have been allowed on English racecourses since racing’s resumption on June 1.

“It’s definitely a step in the right direction,” Armstrong said from Ludlow. “What I wouldn’t describe it as is a pilot or test. It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s a baby step.

“It is important here at Ludlow today, where 650 people will make it quite a good atmosphere. If you think about most racecourses, if they have 2,000 people, it is barely touching the sides–so it doesn’t yet get back to where we create the atmosphere or make it more economically viable. Those are steps that are still to come, but we have to start with a baby step and in the current environment, we are very fortunate to get the opportunity to bring this number of people back so soon.

“I probably wasn’t expecting it until after Christmas, so this is a bonus. But the real work is how we bring crowds back at a significant scale, because that is where the economics start to work.”

Armstrong said that as things stand right now and despite the financial hardships of 2020, he expects all of England’s current courses to be operating in 2021.

“There are some in a more fragile position than others and if in 12 months’ time the crowds weren’t allowed back, then I don’t think they would all survive, but I’m confident they all will,” he said. “We are seeing the first step of it today. We are on a journey to bring back crowds in sensible numbers, and once we do that, then they will all be fine.”

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Four tracks will be welcoming in limited spectators in England on Wednesday. Haydock, Kempton, Lingfield and Ludlow-all located in Tier 2 areas–are all set to open their doors to spectators for the first time since March. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the halt of all racing from mid-March and it did not resume-behind closed doors only–until June 1. There have been a pair of small pilot days, with Doncaster and Warwick both hosting some crowds in September, but it was not until the UK government released their new tiered system that crowds were once more greenlit in any capacity. Racecourses in Tier 1 and 2 areas are permitted to allow spectators after the national lockdown ended in England on Wednesday. In Tier 1, up to 4,000 people are allowed or 50% capacity in outdoor venues, with those restrictions tightened to 2,000 people or 50% capacity in Tier 2 areas.

Jockey Club Group Chief Executive Nevin Truesdale, who commented on Haydock and Kempton, which are both under the Jockey Club Racecourses banner, said, “Aside from our successful pilot race day at Warwick, it’s been more than eight months since we’ve been able to welcome spectators on course–and racing fans have been incredibly patient in that time.

“Since the restricted number of tickets went on sale for our race days in Tier 2 areas of the country, we’ve seen a really positive response, including our general admission allocations selling out for this weekend’s feature race days at Sandown Park and Aintree. Last week’s Government announcement that a limited number of spectators will be allowed to return is a great first step on the road to recovery for sport in general.

“But there is no magic switch you flick to ensure your venues are instantly ready, and I’m very proud of all our teams around the country who have been working tirelessly to ensure that racing fans can purchase tickets as smoothly as possible and will then have a safe and enjoyable day out.”

Ludlow is limiting their numbers to about 650 instead of 2,000.

General Manager and Clerk of the Course Simon Sherwood said, “The phones have been very busy. We’ll probably be up to our maximum allocation as far as numbers are concerned. Hopefully we’ll be around the 650 mark, plus essential workers.

“It’ll be good to have people back on the race track. We’ve had to change our zones a little bit. It will be nice to have the owners back properly–because they have been restricted up until now–and members who, likewise, have been sitting on the sidelines for a long time. They are obviously our most important people.

“We are very much limiting our numbers, because it is a step in a new direction and we’re using it as a stepping stone to hopefully opening up a bit more for our December meeting.”

Besides Ludlow, Lingfield will also be restricting its capacity to only several hundred patrons.

Mark Spincer, Arena Racing Company Managing Director said, “We’ll get a few hundred people. We’ll probably be a little busier than would be expected for a normal midweek all-weather fixture. We’re not doing any hospitality, only for owners–so we haven’t put any corporate on which would normally be a reasonably good corporate day there–but we decided that before Christmas we’re just going to focus on the owners and the general admissions area.

“We’ll learn a lot tomorrow, as we have done all along. We’re ready–we’ve got processes and procedures in place. The site is ready. We’ve got a lot of fixtures there in the month of December–that’s another factor.

“The team have worked so hard. They were one of the first sites to come back behind closed doors. Any last minute changes and tweaks that get thrown at us, we’ll be ready to deal with accordingly.”

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