‘Ghost town’ feel at the races
A Trackside TV presenter has described the ‘‘very lonely and eerie’’ scene at the first closed door race meeting as racing bodies desperately try to keep the sport going as the Covid-19 outbreak tightens its grip on the country.
Yesterday was the first time – under the new guidelines announced on Tuesday – that racing went ahead without owners or punters who are not currently allowed into racecourses.
Trackside TV presenter Brendan Popplewell acknowledged weekday meetings at Rotorua draw only very small crowds but said yesterday was far from normal.
‘‘Very lonely and eerie here at Rotorua,’’ he said on the Trackside TV broadcast.
‘‘It’s strange not having anyone around and no activity.
‘‘There’s no coffee cart . . . no lady staff behind the tote machines to say hello to.’’
Veteran race caller George Simon agreed the meeting had a weird feeling to it.
‘‘It’s like a ghost town here.’’
Closed door meetings, that are only open to essential personnel until April 13, were announced in a joint statement by all three racing codes on Tuesday.
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) also announced it was confining jockeys to either the North or South Island by not allowing them to accept rides in both islands.
Jockeys have also been given a temporary 2kg extra allowance to their weights to help them stay healthier and be less susceptible to falling ill.
More drastic measures are also being considered.
NZTR chief executive Bernard Saundry has said they will consider placing jockeys in quarantine to help fight off the threat of coronavirus shutting down racing because, without jockeys, there is no racing.
He said keeping racing going was vitally important to protect the incomes of more than 15,000 workers who are directly employed within the industry.
‘‘They are extraordinary times which have called for some extraordinary measures,’’ Saundry told Trackside TV.
‘‘The protection of our jockeys and the welfare of our jockeys is paramount.’’.
Saundry, who said NZTR personnel were planning for every possible scenario, said it was even possible that thoroughbred racing could continue in one island only if there were positive coronavirus cases within key stakeholders in the North Island but not the South Island or vice versa.
‘‘We are in a situation that is critical and has critical financial implications for the future and has critical implications for the health of all our people,’’ Saundry said.