Hello Friends,

I have set out a preliminary protocol that according to me, needs to be put into place. It is a bit lengthy, however, there are a lot of smart and erudite people here who can polish it.

What is the process for horses arriving at racecourses?

Racing must adhere to very strict bio-security measures and there will now be additional protocols in place.

Staff ONLY with the appropriate accreditation will be permitted to enter the stable yard and as a general principle this will be limited to stable staff (or trainer/representative when accompanying the horse), equine welfare and integrity officers, vets and relevant racecourse staff ONLY. Trainers or their assistants will not be permitted access. On arrival horses will be taken to the specified area for the horse check-in where the horse’s microchip and identification will be checked.

All horses will be saddled in the same area (i.e. stable box or saddling area of the parade ring). The club’s representative will retrieve equipment from the designated area (in or near the weighing room) and proceed to saddling area. After handling or transferring any equipment they will wash or sanitise their hands. When tacking the horse for the race, social distancing must be maintained by keeping one person on either side of the horse.

Who will be able to attend a racecourse?

Access to the racecourse will be extremely limited and only authorised personnel will be able to attend. The names of those planning to attend on a given day must be submitted in advance and if the name is not on the list, that individual will not be permitted entrance under any circumstances. There is a three stage health check that everyone will have to pass before they are allowed onto courses

What are the screening steps everyone will have to go through?

First of all everyone will have to complete an online educational course on Covid 19

Each person will have to complete an online health questionnaire within the 7 days prior to them going to a racecourse. This will expire after 7 days and will have to be repeated on a rolling 7 day basis to monitor their health.

On arrival at a racecourse, ALL attendees will be required to answer further documented questions, as well as having their temperature recorded twice. This will be done in a secure area from their cars or the club’s ambulance . And, if on both occasions this temperature exceeds 37.8°C, they will not be allowed onto the course and will have to head home immediately and self isolate.

It is only when someone has successfully completed all three steps that they will be allowed onto the racecourse and given their accreditation showing that they have successfully completed screening.

Who will be able to attend a racecourse?

Access to the racecourse will be extremely limited and only authorised personnel will be able to attend. The names of those planning to attend on a given day must be submitted in advance and if the name is not on the list, that individual will not be permitted entrance under any circumstances. There is a three stage health check that everyone will have to pass before they are allowed onto courses.

What are the screening steps everyone will have to go through?

First of all everyone will have to complete an online educational course on Covid 19

Each person will have to complete an online health questionnaire within the 7 days prior to them going to a racecourse. This will expire after 7 days and will have to be repeated on a rolling 7 day basis to monitor their health.

On arrival at a racecourse, ALL attendees will be required to answer further documented questions, as well as having their temperature recorded twice. This will be done in a secure area from their cars or the club’s ambulance . And, if on both occasions this temperature exceeds 37.8°C, they will not be allowed onto the course and will have to head home immediately and self isolate.

It is only when someone has successfully completed all three steps that they will be allowed onto the racecourse and given their accreditation showing that they have successfully completed screening.

Who will be able to attend a racecourse?

Access to the racecourse will be extremely limited and only authorised personnel will be able to attend. The names of those planning to attend on a given day must be submitted in advance and if the name is not on the list, that individual will not be permitted entrance under any circumstances. There is a three stage health check that everyone will have to pass before they are allowed onto courses

What are the screening steps everyone will have to go through?

First of all everyone will have to complete an online educational course on Covid 19

Each person will have to complete an online health questionnaire within the 7 days prior to them going to a racecourse. This will expire after 7 days and will have to be repeated on a rolling 7 day basis to monitor their health.

On arrival at a racecourse, ALL attendees will be required to answer further documented questions, as well as having their temperature recorded twice. This will be done in a secure area from their cars or the club’s ambulance . And, if on both occasions this temperature exceeds 37.8°C, they will not be allowed onto the course and will have to head home immediately and self isolate.

It is only when someone has successfully completed all three steps that they will be allowed onto the racecourse and given their accreditation showing that they have successfully completed screening.

How will you be keeping jockeys safe in the changing rooms?

A  number of measures to keep jockeys safe on course including ensuring that there is social distancing in the jockeys’ changing rooms and that each jockey has a clear space of 2m which must be maintained and this may include taped areas or putting up screens. As a result, courses must provide additional changing room space for jockeys so that this can be achieved.

In addition, the shower and sauna facilities will not be available to prevent any spray.

There will also be no catering on courses and jockeys will need to bring their own food and drink to the course with them, but bottled water will be provided.

Parade Ring Procedure :

Horses will not parade beyond one round. They will go straight to the starting stalls once that one round is over. There wil be only one handler with the horses

Starting Stalls :

This will be the biggest challenge. All employees connected with the start will be screened as above before entering the course. In addition to the mask/face shield, they will have to wear gloves—provided by the club. How often the glove needs to be changed is to be validated by the club’s senior doctor. When a horse needs more of

these handlers for stalling horses, they need to execute the process swiftly as it may be impossible to maintain the 2 meter norm. Trainers will have to ensure that their wards are given adequate gate practice in order that they are not fractious at the stalls.

When this protocol is put into place and a system established for continuous audit/inspection to make sure the protocol is adhered to, I am sure racing can start and the Government will give approval. However, till this difficult situation eases, racing has to be conducted behind closed doors only. This protocol has o be documented and placed at al frequently visited locations.

Ideally, on line betting should be installed. Secondly, the Club can make streaming of races for the public on payment of a modest fee. Tote will be the only form of a wager.  No unauthorised public including owners, trainers  bookies etc will be allowed inside.

Best