The British Horse Racing Authority (BHA) have said following government approval they are looking at British Horse Racing resuming June 2020, with a clear aim to set a date for Epsom. An eight days of action programme has been sent out, with other June Race fixtures expected to follow later on this week.
Strict Protocol
The BHA had expected to resume its racing schedule in May but strict protocols have to be ironed out before this can happen. All racing will initially be carried out behind closed doors, but only after outlined steps are taken by each trainer, along with employee information updates and horse vaccination records uploaded.Attendees at every racecourse will be required to fill in an online module about the understanding of Covid-19, safe distancing, strict hygiene levels, PPE and racecourse protocol.
Sporting Sector Guidelines
Chief medical advisors have been working closely with the Sporting sector to draw up clear plans on guidelines and the safest possible protocol to protect everyone involved, including people most at risk of more exposure and who will be required to wear PPE.Health screening will be required for every attendee but not underlined as to what this will be at the moment.The government came under fierce criticism after Cheltenham Festival went ahead while the majority of European countries had already lockdown. Nick Rust Chief Executive of BHA said the race went ahead after the latest government advice at the time.“ The advice was keep going, then things changed that week. Of course I guess we should be a little bit worried, not necessarily because of the decisions taken around that but because of the perception of it.”