Jockeys will wear masks if racing resumes behind closed doors on 1 June, according to British Horseracing Authority (BHA) protocols.

The governing body and regulator for horseracing has published its technical guidelines for participants and staff to allow racing to resume safely behind closed doors.

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has worked with racecourses and representatives of trainers, jockeys and staff to adapt a normal race meeting, provide medical screening for all attendees in advance and maintain social distancing.

Reduction in prize money inevitable with no crowds on racecourses and betting shops closed

Levy Board contributions allow, on average, minimum prize money levels to remain at just over 80% of the previously permitted minimum levels

Racing’s cross-industry Members Committee agrees focus should be on safeguarding prize money at the mid/lower echelons of the racing pyramid

Initial values cover 10-week period from the resumption of racing and remain under review

Following the UK government publishing a provisional timetable for the return of professional sport on Monday, the racing industry’s leaders continue to plan for a resumption of racing from 1 June.

Senior executives from British horseracing have welcomed the publication of a timeline for the potential resumption of sporting events by the UK government today. In its document, Our Plan to Rebuild, …

ISSUED ON BEHALF OF BRITISH HORSERACING'S EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Senior executives from British horseracing have welcomed the publication of a timeline for the potential resumption of sporting events by the UK government today.

MAY 1st

Planning is underway to ensure we are ready to resume racing at the earliest appropriate opportunity. This includes the development of a provisional fixture list to help trainers prepare for resumption, …

The final two weekends in May have been earmarked for some big races if British racing is given the go-ahead to resume.

Read the latest news from the racecourse news pages

In response to an article in today's Sunday Telegraph, the Board of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) issued the following statement:

Races with a maximum of 12 runners ridden by senior jockeys in an extended Flat racing season are planned when the sport returns in Great Britain.

With what is proving to be quite a testing and tricky time for us all, we want to shake away the doom and gloom with some exciting racing trips and packages to look forward to come 2021 when things return back to normal…

Let’s start from the beginning

The standard to which all Cheltenham jockeys are compared to is the record seven race wins that Ruby Walsh set in 2009 and then miraculously repeated in 2016. However, with the man that many acknowledge as the greatest jockey ever hanging up his saddle, the battle is on to become the next dominant force at Cheltenham.

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Overview

The Cheltenham Festival is the highlight of the National Hunt season that provides an unrivalled buzz as 250,000 people descend onto the beautiful Cotswold Hills over four days of scintillating action.

Champions are decided, heroes are made, and reputations are left in ruins as the finest horses, jockeys, and trainers battle it out for the highest racing honours and nearly £4m of prize money.

Jockey Paul Townend made it two in two years as he rode Cheltenham Festival Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo across the finish line on the final day of the race meeting. It was the second time in as many years that the duo had won the Gold Cup and hopes are high in the horse’s camp that next year will see a third consecutive victory in the race. Horse racing punters are already growing with excitement over Al Boum Photo’s chances of winning the Gold Cup in 2021. Punters can visit cheltenham-betting-offers.co.uk to get a bet bonus on the race before wagering on the horse they believe will win the Gold Cup.

The National Hunt season is well and truly underway after the successes and losses at Leopardstown, with everyone now looking forward to the 2020 Cheltenham Festival. We saw a host of horses and their jockeys put their skills to the test, not just to claim victory at The Dublin Racing Festival, but to also prepare for the challenges of Cheltenham.

The nature of the Cheltenham Festival means that it is never about just one horse or, indeed, just one race. For instance, when we look back at Kauto Star’s final Gold Cup win in 2009, we should remember that same festival also saw Big Buck’s and Quevega digging out their own bit of history.

"Altior" (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Carine06

Altior is already an equine legend, a history maker, the best two-mile chaser of his generation. The chance to make more headlines and cement his indelible legacy comes at his happy hunting ground, the Cheltenham Festival, where his sole 2020 entry sees him bid for a third Queen Mother Champion Chase in a row.

With only a couple more months to go until the 2020 Cheltenham Festival begins, the ante-post betting markets are starting to take shape as the early bets begin to get laid. Many expert horse racing tipsters have already scoured the bookies looking for that extra value which going ante-post provides

Following the UK Government’s publication of a provisional timeline for the return of sport, Racing’s industry leaders are now planning for racing to resume behind closed doors on 1 June.

The exact timetable for the resumption of racing will remain subject to agreement from government and an assessment by public health officials of the risks posed by the virus at that time.

If a return to action is approved by the government, the first meeting would be held on 1 June.

The Racing League aims to trial new rules where a jockey carries a whip but only uses it for safety and correction purposes, and not for encouragement as is commonplace in most races.

The Derby is set to stay at Epsom this year, after councillors approved an application to stage the race behind closed doors on a Saturday in July or August.

Government relations On Sunday 10 May, the UK Government will outline the next phase of its response to the coronavirus pandemic, which may include changes to its current social distancing restrictions … More

WHY IS THE GUINEAS SO SPECIAL?

Thank you to everyone who voted for their favourite parade ring on our social media channels. We received more than 800 votes across our 15 beautiful courses. But there was one winner with 39% of the votes, the ever popular... FIND OUT MORE

75th ANNIVERSARY OF VE DAY Today Britain marks the 75th anniversary of VE Day with a Bank Holiday.

Internationally recognised as Victory in Europe Day, May 8th is celebrated as the day that World War II came to an end.

Thirteen British meetings are being planned to take place behind closed doors in the first week after horse racing is given the go-ahead to resume.

It will be fun as they come under orders. The wonderful simplicity of sport will kick in. It won't matter why it was gone, whether it was a good idea or if we were patronised or lied to.

Your racecourse news item will be posted on the News page of the UKs number one independent racing resource web site https://www.racingfixtures.co.uk

Resumption planning

Current planning for resumption is based on a phased approach, which will allow the sport to transition back to a normal fixture list in a controlled way that is consistent with