Thoroughbred racing will continue in Ireland without spectators and with a ban on horses from outside of its national borders.
The board of Horse Racing Ireland today announced stricter protocols in an effort to keep the industry turning over during the Coronavirus pandemic that has led to 366 infections and two deaths in Ireland at time of writing.
Ireland has hosted five meetings since Friday without spectators and has introduced further measures for future meetings which include:
• No evening meetings and no more than one meeting per day to reduce the strain on medical resources;
• Jockeys’ weights to increase by two pounds (1kg) from Friday in flat and jumps races with all racecourse saunas closed; and
• A maximum of 30-minute intervals between races to assist social distancing.
In a statement, Horse Racing Ireland chief executive Brian Kavanagh said the body will “continue to liaise with Government Departments” for best practice while also maintaining activity in their industry.
“This is clearly a rapidly changing situation,” he said.
“The executive sub-committee of Horse Racing Ireland and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board is meeting daily to assess the situation, and the Board of Horse Racing Ireland will continue to convene as required.
“Racecourses by their nature offer opportunities for social distancing that few other workplaces can.
“Nothing in Irish life is as it was a week ago, and in the same way, these are not race fixtures as we previously knew them, they are big open-air sites with very few people present and nobody on site if they are not involved: once a jockey or trainer has finished their business for the afternoon, they are required to leave.
“Furthermore, we have carried out risk assessments according to each individual racecourse facility, and some fixtures may be subject to greater restrictions and limitations to ensure social distancing is easily achievable and maintained.”
Despite all racing being suspended in other European countries such as Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Italy – Ireland remains one of few European racing jurisdictions in operation.
