The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Blow for Perth Racecourse as bosses pull plug on five spring fixtures
“It will allow more people to consider the Yomp as their fundraising challenge
Perth Racecourse has cancelled all of its planned meetings until the end of June, blaming ongoing “uncertainty” about lockdown restrictions.
Bosses have pulled the plug on five fixtures in April and May, and have offered vouchers and refunds to ticket holders.
The announcement came as the organisers of the Cateran Yomp – an annual charity trek through east Perthshire hills – revealed that the 10th anniversary event has been pushed back until later in the year.
A spokeswoman for Perth Racecourse said the decision to cancel meetings was made with “great regret and sadness”.
She said: “With less than seven weeks until the start of our season it is clear that there is still too high a degree of uncertainty about crowds being permitted to racecourses in Scotland.
“Whilst there is light at the end of the tunnel in terms of vaccines, and plenty of speculation about a phased return of limited attendances in the coming months, we do not feel there is enough certainty regarding our first fixtures in April and May, and to be fair to everyone we need to make a call now.”
The spokeswoman added: “We will tackle the season in front of us in phases, and remain hopeful the picture may change from June onwards.”
Bosses have now written to ticket holders offering them racecourse vouchers of the same value of their tickets.
“If for any reason a customer does not wish to accept the Perth Racecourse voucher, they may of course request a refund in full,” she said.
“We look forward to welcoming racegoers back to Perth very soon, and thank everyone once again for their continuing support during such a difficult year.”
The Cateran Yomp, which was due to take place on June 5-6, will now be held on September 11-12.
Since its launch in 2010, the gruelling challenge has raised more than £3.8 million for thousands of veterans, serving soldiers and their families through ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.
More than 1,000 people took part in the 2019 event.
Steve Oatley, head of national events at ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, said: “After much thought and discussion we have taken the difficult but sensible decision to postpone the Cateran Yomp until September.
“We appreciate this is disappointing for many but, as well as providing much-needed clarity, postponing the event will allow participants more time to train over the spring and summer months and, crucially, travel out of their immediate areas to really maximise that training.”
He said: “It will also allow more people to consider the Yomp as their fundraising challenge for 2021, sign up and work towards it with a clear goal and timeline.”
Mr Oatley added: “We would like to thank the multiple landowners, suppliers, sponsors and volunteers who have continued to support us through this difficult time and, in the meantime, remain focused on planning the best event possible.”