KELLEWAY WARNING
Trainer fears owners will quit sport unless restrictions eased
THE “soulless experience” for owners must change – and quickly – to prevent a mass exodus from the sport, Gay Kelleway warned yesterday.
Pubs and restaurants, closed during the coronavirus lockdown, reopened for business in Britain on July 4 – the same day that owners were allowed to attend fixtures held behind closed doors. But, although betting shops had welcomed punters back on June 15, owners are currently unable to drink, eat or bet.
“Something needs to be done – it’s a soulless experience for owners at the moment – or they will be gone,” said the Newmarket trainer.
“We need the bars and restaurants to open, and we also need the Tote, which has always been operated behind glass screens.
“Look what’s happening in the wider world. I don’t understand how owners can eat, drink and bet when they are outside a racecourse, but they can’t once they have gone through the gates to watch their horses run.”
Bosses at Glorious Goodwood, which begins on July 28, hope to host a crowd of up to 5,000 people on one of the meeting’s five days, subject to government approval.
But Kelleway, who last month was elected to the board of the Racehorse Owners Association, added: “That’s too little, and too late.
“They’ve already had to put up with a dip in prize money and owners tell me – and it’s not just me, but other trainers as well – that they won’t be buying horses in the autumn if something doesn’t change.
“And then we could be left with just a small group of super-rich owners.”