Horse racing in Ireland will resume June 8 with no spectators and subject to a health assessment and temperature reading on personnel entry into the track.
“We are grateful to be one of the sectors permitted to go back to work and acknowledge the responsibility to ensure the events are run in a safe way,” said Brian Kavanagh, chief executive of Horse Racing Ireland.
With significant input from the racing board’s chief medical officer, Dr. Jennifer Pugh, the organization has strengthened Covid-19 protocols, according to SBC News. Attendees at the tracks will also be required to wear face masks and social distancing measures will be in place, with a protocol officer at each location.
“There must be full compliance with these protocols and to assist the industry in becoming familiar with the changed workplace, a series of webinars will be announced,” Kavanagh said.
Racing has already restarted under similar conditions in Germany and France and is ongoing in Australia, Japan and Hong Kong. The British Horseracing Authority plans to resume racing on June 1.
The industry supports 29,000 jobs in rural Ireland, and is the third-largest producer, and largest exporter, of thoroughbreds in the world.
In other racing news, the Horserace Betting Levy Board will increase the amount of prize money during the first 10 weeks of U.K. horse racing in an effort to offset revenue lost during the Covid-19 suspension.
Total prize money will amount to £16.4 million (US$19.9 million), up 23 percent from the same period last year. The increase will help breeders, owners, trainers, jockeys and stable staff.
“We recognize the importance of providing over and above contributions to prize money when racing resumes and are pleased to have been able to meet racing’s requests in full,” Levy Board Chairman Paul Darling said.
To support the prize money, all major bookmakers in the Betting Liaison Group agreed to provide confidential reports on race-by-race turnover and gross win on a weekly, rather than a monthly, basis. The reports help assess funding beyond the first 10 weeks, according to iGaming Business.
“While we start from a position of having enough cash reserves to meet these requests, our expenditure in this period will almost certainly exceed our income,” Darling said. “Our funding commitment in turn helps the betting industry as racing can now put in place an appropriate program.”
Last month, the board and the Racing Foundation pledged £22 million in emergency support to aid the industry manage the pandemic. The Levy Board funds will mostly go to tracks, but also to the Racing Foundation if participants suffering undue hardships.
