Horse racing is set to resume in the Republic of Ireland from 8 June, subject to certain conditions. 

Only personnel absolutely necessary to run races will be permitted on-site at race courses, and everyone will be subject to health and temperature checks on entry. Face masks will also be mandatory, and strict social distancing measures will be in place, supervised by a dedicate “COVID-19 protocol officer” at each event.

Commenting on the news Chief Executive of Horse Racing Ireland, Brian Kavanagh, said:

“We are grateful to be one of the sectors permitted to go back to work and acknowledge the responsibility on everybody in racing to ensure the events are run in a safe way.

“We know from our own experience in March when we safely ran ten meetings behind closed doors – and from what is happening in other countries like France, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and America – that racing can be staged safely within the requirements of social distancing.

“With significant input from the IHRB’s chief medical officer Dr Jennifer Pugh, we have strengthened the HRI Covid-19 protocols and so, while race fixtures will return in Ireland on June 8, they will be very different from what people will have experienced before.”

Horse racing has already restarted in Germany and France, while it never ceased in Australia, Japan and Hong Kong. As we reported last week, the British Horseracing Authority has announced plans to resume events, again behind closed doors and subject to strict rules, on 1 June.

AYO.NEWS says:

This is definitely good news for bookies, but as we’ve said many times, it is far too early to relax, given the strong likelihood of more waves of infection, and the ever-present threat of further lockdowns. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

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