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HRI Reveals 2021 Fixture List

Horse Racing Ireland has published its 2021 fixtures list with 380 meetings, up from the originally scheduled 370 in 2020. The list contains 379 meetings with one designated as a floating fixture to be programmed when demand for opportunities is high. The 10 additional meetings include seven turf fixtures (including the floating fixture) and three all-weather meetings.

Jason Morris, HRI’s director of racing, said, “The 2021 fixture list has very largely reverted to the original 2020 schedule with the number of blank Sundays being retained at six to help ease pressure on stable staff and trainers. As we all know, 2020 was severely impacted by the 11-week cessation of racing from Mar. 26 to June 8 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, after which it has featured a heavily revised schedule with 330 fixtures being retained overall.

“The HRI Board recognises the uncertain times we are facing, but wanted to produce a full-year fixture list at this stage to assist owners, trainers and racecourses with their planning. In the event that racing is disrupted or attendances are not permitted or heavily restricted for a prolonged period in 2021, it is recognised that revisions to the schedule may be necessary. In such circumstances, HRI will be flexible and respond to the circumstances as we find them with regard to dates, venues and codes of meetings; however the strong preference will be to run the full schedule of fixtures as published today.”

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Owners To Return To Irish Racecourses From Monday

Owners will be permitted to return to Irish racecourses from Monday in line with the government’s medium-term COVID-19 plan published earlier this week.

Brian Kavanagh, chief executive of Horse Racing Ireland, said, “We are delighted to confirm that for the first time since Mar. 13, owners will be permitted to return to the racecourse from Monday next. Owners play the most important role in Irish racing and they have had to wait quite some time to return to the racecourse to see their horses run. We have always said that getting owners back on the racecourse was our first priority and we have been working closely on this with the Association of Irish Racehorse Owners and their representative Caren Walsh.

“As all key personnel who have been racing behind closed doors since June 8 will testify, these are not race fixtures as we used to know them, and given the ongoing public health risk it remains as important now as it ever has been that all those attending racecourses adhere strictly to the race day protocols.

“Since we resumed racing in Ireland, the level of care and compliance with the Covid-19 protocols has been excellent and it is vital that everybody continues to comply with the rules on the racecourse around pre-health screening, social distancing and the wearing of face masks or coverings at all times.”

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Welsh Covid Spike Not From Doncaster Pilot According to Track

A COVID-19 spike in Wales’s Rhondda Cynon Taf was not the result of last Wednesday’s Doncaster pilot event where 2,500 spectators were allowed to attend, Doncaster has said, refuting the Welsh government’s accusation. Wales’s Health Minister Vaughan Gething indicated that a rugby club outing that made several stops–including the racecourse–caused the lockdown in Wales.

“Our contact tracing teams have been able to trace about half of these cases back to a series of clusters within the borough,” said Gething. “The rest are evidence of community transmission. There are a number of clusters within Rhondda Cynon Taf, two of which are significant. One is associated with a rugby club and a pub in the lower Rhondda. And the other with a club outing to the Doncaster races, which stopped off at a series of pubs on the way.”

“As a condition of running the pilot event last week, we were required to implement a full track and trace database that took the details of all attendees that would be on site, linked to an e-ticket and photo ID system on entry that would verify attendance,” Doncaster said in a statement. “Doncaster Racecourse has received no contact from any organisation, including the NHS or the Welsh Government, to verify the attendance of any individuals at last week’s event for the purposes of track and trace. In addition, we do not have any ticket bookings for any groups from the South Wales area for Wednesday’s event. We will be contacting the Welsh Health Minister as a matter of urgency to clarify the situation.”

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Warwick Will Still Stage Spectator Trial

Only 474 spectators will be allowed at Warwick’s upcoming Monday pilot of racing with spectators, the course announced on Wednesday. Prior to this adjustment downward, the track had been planning for 800 spectators. One of The Jockey Club’s courses, Warwick had met with Public Health England which resulted in the spectator reduction. Racing resumed June 1 and, except for a pilot event at Doncaster last Wednesday, has been conducted without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Following discussions with local authorities and representatives, Warwick Racecourse will welcome up to 474 spectators at its Monday, Sept. 21 racing fixture as part of a limited capacity trial, with stringent health and safety measures in place for its first meeting since March,” said Warwick Racecourse in a statement. “The restricted capacity will be filled by 150 annual members, 124 hospitality bookers and up to 200 racehorse owners, in addition to participants and raceday staff. Tickets will not go on general sale given the limits involved.”

Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Oliver Dowden also offered an update via Twitter, tweeting, “Return of fans to sport update. Just held a collaborative and constructive meeting with major sports on the Oct. 1 review. There is mutual understanding of the need to get fans back in, while all acknowledging the very significant headwinds we face with the virus.

“The Government is conducting this review rapidly and will complete this work on the return of fans as soon as possible. This follows a meeting I held with the business events sector earlier this week as part of the review.”

The British Horseracing Authority issued a joint statement with other sporting bodies after the meeting with Dowden which read: “We conveyed to the Secretary of State the very serious financial situation now facing our sports, clubs and venues and that we believe we can stage events safely.

“It is clear that if fans cannot return soon that there will be very serious economic implications across our sporting sector.

“Our sports have already demonstrated through staging fixtures behind closed doors, in test events and through the return of recreational sport that we can deliver the very highest standards in safety and best practice.

“We will continue to engage with the Government in the days ahead and provide any further evidence required.”

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