The British Horseracing Authority has set early June as a provisional “best-case” starting point for the 2020 Classics, should an easing of lockdown restrictions allow racing to resume behind closed doors within the next few weeks. If it proves possible to run the 1,000 Guineas and 2,000 Guineas around the time when the Derby would normally take place, then both the Derby and the Oaks would be staged in early July.
The “best-case” scenario, which the BHA stresses is wholly dependent on a relaxation of the current rules on gatherings, is set out in a letter to Britain’s 600 licensed trainers, which gives more details about the Authority’s plans for a revised fixture list with a reduced number of meetings when racing can finally resume.
The letter acknowledges that “not all racecourses will be able to race behind closed doors or meet specific criteria around risk mitigation” and that “with no income from crowds and betting shops potentially still closed, there will be greater reliance on the Levy Board for prize money”. This will “both limit the fixtures we can afford to stage, and also inevitably impact on prize money values”.
If the Derby and Oaks can be staged in early July – with Newmarket thought to be a likely venue since Epsom, which is on public land, is unlikely to be able to race behind closed doors – then some Group One events for older horses “may be required to be moved to a slightly different date”. Some events may also be closed to three-year-olds “if their proximity to a key three-year-old event is closer than ideal”. This could affect races such as the Eclipse Stakes, which is normally staged in early July.
Royal Ascot is, at present, slated for its traditional slot in mid-June, though the course has already said that if the meeting goes ahead, it will do so behind closed doors. If so, the BHA says that it will be “looking to stage several key Classic trials, and other trial races feeding into Royal Ascot, during the second half of May,” while stressing that “a later restart would require these plans to be adjusted accordingly”.
Away from the sport’s major events, the BHA will “aim to keep things as close to normal as possible, with a standard mix of handicaps and weight-for-age races for all horses.” In the early stage of any resumption, however, the Authority anticipates that “field sizes will need to be restricted to support the logistics of social distancing on a raceday and to minimise the risk of incidents”. It is also possible that “for a while we will avoid races for apprentices”.
Jumping fans, meanwhile, will be encouraged to hear that the current suspension of National Hunt racing until 1 July could be followed by “a jumping programme largely based on the original programme book”. The letter adds that jumps trainers “are currently being asked for details of the horses they expect to have ready to run at that time so that appropriate revisions to the programme can be made.”