Chepstow gets Welsh racing up and running

HORSE racing in Wales will resume later this month. The first fixture is scheduled for Monday, June 15 at Chepstow.

Initially, racing at Welsh courses will recommence at Chepstow with no spectators able to attend due to the coronavirus pandemic. Bangor-on-Dee will resume as part of the summer jumps season which begins in July and Ffos Las will re-open in October for the prestigious Welsh Champion Hurdle meeting.

It will be the first meeting at Chepstow since January 31 as fixtures in February and March were abandoned because of a waterlogged track.

Ffos Las last held a meeting in March and will now have a break from racing until the autumn. It wasn’t economically viable to re-open the course for a handful of meetings during the summer months.

Anyone who has booked tickets for these fixtures is eligible for a transfer to another event or a full refund by e-mailing info@ffoslasracecourse.com

Fixtures at Ffos Las from October to December this year will take place as originally planned and the management is in the process in arranging around 20 fixtures for 2021.

The British Horseracing Authority has released strict protocols for racing behind closed doors, which includes specific guidance for the racing industry to help safeguard the health of employees and participants in a controlled and managed return to racing.

The guidelines detail who is permitted to attend the course during these early stages of resumption. All are subject to a three-stage screening process, including an online education test, a health questionnaire and temperature checks on arrival. Social distancing officers will be on racecourses.

Chepstow’s fixtures are June 15, June 23, June 30, July 3, July 9, July 17, July 21, August 1, August 14-15, August 20 and August 26. These replace the original fixture list so popular meetings such at Ladies’ Evening and Caribbean Night will not go-ahead and have been transferred to 2021.

All the meetings will be Sports Racing.

News of racing’s resumption in Wales is positive news for the sport’s economy with 20 licensed training yards and various breeding operations across the country employing hundreds of staff. live on Sky