Racing trying hard to outrun the virus

Latest responses to the coronavirus threat in horse racing include:

• A new minimum weight of 45kg for all runners in South Africa (behind closed doors, of course). This is to keep jockeys healthy as the industry tries to protect itself from the disease and follows similar measures in New Zealand and Australia. Jockeys often have to sweat to lose weight to make the handicap impost – thereby weakening immune systems.
• A ban on live, face-to-face, on-course interviews with trainers and jockeys on the Tellytrack channel. Recorded pre-meeting interviews will be broadcast for the time being – under strict sanitation rules during videoing, such as dedicated microphones and sterilised equipment.
• Likely cancellation of barrier trials at KwaZulu-Natal race meetings.
• Calls for restrictions on jockeys, horses and grooms travelling between cities to race. Top jockeys, in particular, clock up the Voyager Miles as they move around the country in search of winners. If a racing participant falls ill there is likely to be a shutdown of the behind-closed-doors programme in that centre. If that individual has not travelled it might allow action to continue elsewhere.

All racing in the UK and France has been cancelled until further notice, but racing has continued in other parts of the world before empty grandstands. Among the major events coming up are:

• The Hong Kong Derby at Sha Tin on Sunday. The usual crowd of tens of thousands of fans will be entirely missing – as will the coterie of visiting jockeys from around the world. thanks to travel restrictions.
• The Dubai World Cup, the richest race meeting in the world, is on schedule for Saturday 28 March – again with no punters in the stands. A total of 21 US horses are already on the ground in the emirate, with five of them booked for the main event, the $12-million World Cup – Belmont Stakes winner and runner-up Sir Winston (14-1) and Tacitus (5-1), Pegasus World Cup winner Mucho Gusto (7-2), Grade 1 winner Math Wizard (25-1) and War Story (25-1), a veteran gelding who has tried America’s biggest races but is heading overseas for the first time. The Yankee raiders take on a hometown favourite in Godolphin’s Benbatl (9-4).
• In the UK, the Epsom Derby (June 6) and Royal Ascot (June 16-20) have not yet been cancelled, though the Grand National (4 April) has been abandoned.

In South Africa, the coming weekend’s highlight will be the King’s Cup (Listed) over 1600m of the Greyville turf on Sunday. The highly competitive line-up includes a sprinkling of newly arrived visitors for the coming winter season.

Racing fans will be keen to enjoy what they can while they can.

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