Perth supremo Hazel defiant as racing weathers Covid-19 storm
Hazel Peplinski was spot-on when she said the current crisis is nothing like she’s ever seen in 30 years of racing.
But the Perth chief executive is like the rest of us and can see light at the end of the tunnel.
Finally, the prospect of getting back to racing in the UK and Ireland, even if it is behind closed doors, is very close to becoming reality and it really cannot come soon enough.
It’s been brilliant having France back over the past six days and the big action there has whetted the appetite for getting it back on our own tracks in the near future.
The Scottish Government will have the final say on when the likes of Perth, Ayr, Hamilton, Musselburgh and Kelso return - but at least there is now hope with the recent announcements and punters who stick by their sport deserve it.
In an interview, Peplinski revealed how 50 per cent of her customers at Scone Palace Park refused to take refunds for the 2020 meetings already lost.
Peplinski and the team needed the punters to stick by them. They made the call to arms and the racing fraternity backed them. Half of those who had bought tickets have carried their bookings through to 2021 rather than get money back.
That’s why racing enthusiasts deserve their game back and it looks like June 1 at Newcastle is a goer.
Gosforth Park is ready to host the opening fixture and it ’ ll burst into life with a sensational spell of action.
In case you missed it, the BHA have announced that the 2000 and 1000 Guineas would be run on June 6 and 7 and Royal Ascot would remain in its traditional spot in the middle of the month.
Although all plans remain subject to sport being cleared to resume, the Derby and Oaks have been pencilled in for the same day this year, July 4.
Adding further detail to the first seven days of action, the Resumption of Racing Group revealed both Newcastle and
Kempton will race on June 2 with Kempton and Yarmouth on June 3 and Newcastle and Newmarket on June 4.
Lingf ield and Newmarket feature on June 5, with those tracks also in action on June 6, together with more Newcastle action.
M e a nw h i l e , Haydock, Lingfield and Newmarket host the June 7 fare with Chelmsford, Haydock as well as Lingfield on June 8.
Newma r k e t ’ s Friday fixture will be headl ined by the Coronation Cup. Ling f ield hos t s its Derby and Oaks trials that day too.
The news from Ireland was also positive. HRI chief Brian Kavanagh has been told racing can go ahead again behind closed doors on June 8.
Kavanagh will today release a revised fixture list up to the end of June. He says that will include “confirmation on when the Classics will be run”.
This has been a tough time for the industry. Trainers and stable staff have had to dig deep to keep going without prize-money.
Owners have to pay p for horses that can’t c run. Jockeys can’t c ride them and can’t c get paid.
Tracks are left without w meetings while w us punters are a just desperate for fo action.
However, it ’ s ccoming back and PPeplinski summed uup how we all feel whenw she said: “We don’t want to be coming back trying to make up lost time just because the pandemic hit.
“I will be doing everything, fighting to the end, to make sure we can come back as strongly as possible after this lousy virus has been sent on its way.”