Under starter’s orders for the restart
Racing to resume behind closed doors
The boss at Hamilton Racecourse revealed that around 75 percent of the venue’s income will be lost this year — but she is“extremely positive” about the business making it to the finish line.
Vivien Currie, right, chief executive at the popular venue, this week admitted that Covid-19 has put a huge financial strain on the business, with dozens of workers being furloughed.
However, there has been a great stride forward with news that horse racing will likely resume at Hamilton Park behind closed doors on Wednesday, June 24.
Vivien said: “It’s not our choice to have no customers coming to the racecourse, but at least racing behind closed doors gets the wheels moving again.
“We will receive immediate payment for races shown on TV but we are not sure how much yet. This is very welcome but it will be a far cry from our usual income levels.
“The financial impact of the coronavirus and lockdown has been enormous for us.”
Hamilton Racecourse has several income streams, including profits from events, weddings, and bookings at the hotel which opened just last year.
With numerous events cancelled, weddings postponed till next year, and the hotel closed to guests, all that money has dried up.
However, the biggest loss has been the race day weekends, where huge crowds attend for the season running from May until October.
“It’s really the race days that keep the business going as what we make in the summer is the lion’s share of our income,” said Vivien.
“Between two-thirds and threequarters of our income will disappear this year, and our projections for next year is that our income will be reduced by up to half.
“When I started working here 12 years ago things were very different. The worst year we faced was when four race days had to be abandoned due to bad weather.
“But this has definitely been the most challenging obstacle and we are having to work our way around it.
“I’m extremely positive that we’ll make it through this, but what size and shape the business will be is still to be determined.”
The whole Hamilton Racecourse site, including hotel, employs 42 people. The majority are off work on the government’s furlough scheme, while a small number of staff will be back on board to oversee the behindclosed-doors races.
The team at Hamilton have set up a one-way system around the racecourse, there are markers on the grass and around the site to ensure social distancing, and officials are confident everything will go smoothly because racing is a non-contact sport.
Vivien said: “I do think the Scottish Government have been exceedingly good at handling this situation, and have been sending out very clear messages about what we can and can’t do.
“What I would be keen to get is a clear date about returning to racing and also when we can reopen the hotel, but I understand that things are moving all the time. We do have a plan in place for behind closed doors racing and are ready to go ahead with that.
“I would like to stress that it’s strictly no access on race day and I need the help of the public to stay at home and not jeopardise the fixtures.”
The races from Hamilton Racecourse will be screened live on Racing TV, and the racecourse team will also be uploading recordings to their Facebook page some time after the events have taken place.
Between two-thirds and three-quarters of our income will disappear this year, and our projections for next year is thatourincome will be reduced by up to half Vivien Currie