Downpatrick National will run as racing carries on

THE Ulster Grand National will go ahead at Downpatrick on Sunday as Irish racing surprisingly decided yesterday to continue running behind closed doors.

But it will be at a cost with no racegoers paying at the gate and a massive hospitality operation planned by sponsors Randox put on hold.

For now, racing will remain the only show in town with Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) set to enforce even stricter measures to adhere to Irish government guidelines regarding the coronavirus as they carry on behind closed doors.

With British racing cancelled until May at the earliest, there were fears within the Irish racing industry that similar measures would be put in place but yesterday’s HRI board meeting — held via video conference — gave the green light for racing to continue without members of the general public.

The first five fixtures to be held behind closed doors, including Down Royal on Tuesday, were commended by those on site, with leading trainer Gordon Elliott and jockeys like Davy Russell and Robbie Power pleading with officials for things to continue that way and the status quo has remained with additional improvements.

No runners from overseas will be permitted to run at Irish tracks while the situation will be reviewed daily with no evening meetings or double fixtures allowed to take place.

The huge numbers involved in the racing industry – many of which may have been let go if racing had been cancelled – can breathe a sigh of relief for now but HRI CEO Brian Kavanagh admitted that the ongoing threat of Covid-19 makes this a “rapidly changing situation.”

“Nothing in Irish life is as it was a week ago, and in the same way, these are not race fixtures as we previously knew them,” Kavanagh said.