GETTING BACK IN THE SADDLE
ZODIAKOS wrote his name into the record books with victory in the first horse race in Britain following the coronavirus shutdown.
After government approval was granted on Saturday, racing was the first major professional sport to resume in Britain, having not held a meeting since March 17.
And Zodiakos claimed a piece of history by finishing first in the Betway Welcome Back British Racing Handicap at Newcastle.
At the head of affairs right from the off, the Roger Fell-trained gelding bowled along in the mile contest under his jockey James Sullivan, who like all riders was wearing a face mask as part of the strict hygiene protocols in place.
Zodiakos, however, could not
Riding in the mask is very warm and I pulled it down to get a few breaths in
claim to be the first winner of the day, that honour going to Im Sophie in the 10:21 at Perry Barr as greyhound racing emerged from lockdown even earlier yesterday. The race was the first of a busy day for the dogs, with 12 meetings on the calendar up and down the country.
Newcastle was the only UK track to host horse racing but with 120 runners spread evenly across 12 races there was plenty of action for punters and fans – and plenty of work for the jockeys.
‘It’s nice to get the first winner,’ said Sullivan. ‘I’m blowing a bit as it’s the first time I’ve ridden in a race for a while and it was hard work from three-and-a-half furlongs out. Hopefully that will have blown away the cobwebs.
‘In this heat, riding in the mask, it is very warm and after pulling up I pulled it down a little just to get a few breaths in.
‘It wasn’t too bad, though, it’s manage a b l e and it’s the sort of thing that in a week you won’t even notice.’ Tony Hamilton, who rode Brian The Snail to victory in the Heed Your Hunch At Betway Handicap, said: ‘Riding in the mask is not that nice but we all know we’ve got to do it so we’ll do it as long as we have to.’ Snooker also returned yesterday, with world No.1 Judd Trump beating David Grace 3-0 at the Championship League in Milton Keynes. The most important results came off the table – Sunday’s Covid-19 testing yielding no positive tests – before Trump brought some action back to the baize after 78 days of shutdown.