In a move that seeks to boost the morale and motivation of owners and trainers, horse racing owners for the participants for the upcoming Galway Horse Race 2020 will be allowed to attend and be there live on the racetrack and witness their horses run for the race. However, this is only one of the many changes that the horse racing regulatory body, Horse Racing Ireland, had recently announced. The said announcement brought about several changes in the current protocols that are expected to be observed in connection. All of these, of course, are still in connection to preventive health and safety measures to fight the spread of COVID-19.
On the other hand, for sports bettors and those who prefer to bet online through Neosurf Australia, nothing much will change as these changes are not expected to affect any odds whatsoever. Here are some of the changes brought about by Horse Racing Ireland to the upcoming Galway Horse Race 2020.
HRI announces changes in COVID-19 protocols
For starters, the upcoming Galway Horse Race 2020 is still set to kick off as scheduled. The festival/race will begin on July 27, 2020, and will run through August 2, 2020.
In a recent announcement by the Horse Racing Ireland, it was revealed that they will now allow horse racing owners to the racecourses to watch their horse run through races it will participate in.
“In tandem with the Government’s movement on the Roadmap for Reopening of Society and Business, we are announcing a number of amendments to Horse Racing Ireland’s Covid-19 protocol,” said Brian Kavanagh, Chief Executive of Horse Racing Ireland. “Since we resumed racing in Ireland on June 8, the level of care and compliance with the COVID-19 protocols has been excellent and is appreciated by the COVID-19 teams in Horse Racing Ireland and the IHRB.”
“We are delighted to be able to confirm today that owners will be permitted to return to the racecourse on July 20, with certain restrictions,” Kavanagh added. “Owners play a key role in Irish racing, and their loyalty during this difficult period has been especially noteworthy. From July 20, two owners per horse will be allowed to access the racecourse to see their horse run.”
Aside from the above mentioned changes in the rules, courses are now also allowed to have up to five people as attendees that will be with them in the field as an additional audience. However, this would most likely include racing sponsors or people from race board committee or board members.
Additionally, awarding trophies for each featured race will be done on the same day that the race will be held, and social distancing measures will be implemented to award the trophies. How exactly this would be was not yet specified.
Other amendments in the COVID-19 health and safety protocols include the following (these changes will take effect on July 1):
- Essential personnel for the race that is over 70 years old will now be allowed to attend the event, as restrictions on the prohibition with regards to age have been lifted.
- On the other hand, basic health protocols such as regular temperature checking on everyone and constant sanitization (both personally and the facility) will continue.
- Journalists will still be allowed, and the limit on attendance has been increased. From allowing only a maximum of three reporters and three photographers, will now cater to a maximum of five reporters and photographers, respectively.
- One representative of Associations will be allowed to attend the race, provided that said representative is also allowed to attend race meetings.
