Goodwood relishing prospect of full house as PM sets out end-of-lockdown vision

The 16-month wait for capacity crowds to return to racecourses is set to end in England on July 19 after prime minister Boris Johnson laid out plans to lift pandemic restrictions, with Goodwood announcing it was "all systems go" for a maximum attendance at its five-day Glorious meeting starting eight days later.

Johnson addressed the nation to lay out what a lifting of lockdown could look like, with the lifting of restrictions on sporting venues, including the ending of social distancing, the legal obligation to wear a face-covering and the need for proof of a negative test as a condition of entry welcomed by racing.

But while voicing his pleasure at the news Racecourse Association chief executive David Armstrong warned various protocols may have to remain in place on tracks, such as a green zone bubble for jockeys, to make sure the sport remains protected from any further outbreaks.

Johnson emphasised a final decision would not be made on whether to move to stage four of the roadmap until July 12, but that did nothing to diminish the delight of Goodwood managing director Adam Waterworth, who said: "It couldn't have gone any better."

Reacting to the prime minister's 5pm announcement, Waterworth said: "It's good news, from our point of view it's great. I wasn't quite sure what to expect today and I'm still not sure why it came today but I'm very pleased it did as, in effect, it gives us an additional week where people can be confident Glorious Goodwood is going ahead at full capacity and things will be back to normal by the time it comes around, which is obviously great news for us.

"It's really positive, part of the statement was that there would be no limits on the capacity of sporting events and that's the bit we needed to hear, we've been on sale throughout and there has been some hesitancy so we were hoping for that, so to hear it confirmed is great news for us so it's all systems go. We can all crack on now as we've got some certainty."

The likes of Cheltenham and Aintree took place behind closed doors, while the Derby and Royal Ascot had limited crowds and Waterworth added: "I feel for those that have missed out but one of us was going to be the first and I'm delighted it's us. We know what the crowd number is now, it'll be back to normal as it were and it's great as it means we can plan it and people can book with confidence. It couldn't have gone any better really."

Johnson laid out a five-point plan for "living with Covid", should the decision be taken in a week's time to lift restrictions on July 19.

He said: "We will remove all legal limits on the numbers meeting indoors and outdoors. We will allow all businesses to reopen. We will lift the limit on the number of people attending sports events. We will end the one metre plus rule on social distancing and the legal obligation to wear a face-covering."

He added: "There will be no Covid certificate required as a condition of entry to any venue or event, although businesses and events can certainly make use of certification."

'We will end the one metre plus rule on social distancing and the legal obligation to wear a face-covering'Credit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Armstrong said: "It's a very welcome sign and we're delighted to see it. I think it's the sensible way to go forward, it's the right choice. I think Boris [Johnson] used 'now or never' terminology in his speech and I think that's right, we're very supportive of that.

"We still have bits and pieces we need to sort out within racing about participants and how green zones would work and what we want to do next, so we will be working on that over the course of this week, but the great news is important fixtures like the Goodwood festival are going to be okay.

"Certain restrictions may remain in place to protect racing's participants but we will work closely with our partners across the sport to remove these as quickly as is possible while maintaining their safety."

Outlining the work still to be done he added: "There's still a bit to do. We have to be wary of the test and trace and self-isolation rules, as they remain in place for now.

"If we open up too quickly and, for example, we saw an outbreak among jockeys and then other jockeys having to self-isolate, we could run out of jockeys. That's an example of a pinch-point and where we have to be just a little bit clever about it, but we'll find a way through that I'm sure as there are plenty of options.

"It has been 476 days since British racecourses were able to welcome racegoers without restriction. Clearly this has been a difficult time for racecourses on both a commercial level, we estimate the pandemic has cost racecourses £400 million, and human level – we have deeply missed the atmosphere and presence of racegoers.

"The clarity provided by today's government announcement is wonderful news for racecourses in England and we will continue to work closely with our industry partners and the devolved governments for an update from Wales and Scotland."

"With some of the sport's marquee events to come including the Qatar Goodwood festival, York's Ebor festival and the Cazoo St Leger festival at Doncaster, our attention now turns to helping racecourses prepare for a fantastic summer."

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Racegoers have been on course since May, albeit that number has been capped at a maximum of 4,000. Crowds of up to 12,000 were permitted at Royal Ascot as that event was part of a government pilot scheme.

Beverley, Cartmel and Windsor are due to race on July 19. Ayr also races that day, but restrictions in Scotland are not due to be lifted until August 9. The next review of restrictions in Wales is on July 15.

The first major race after that is Ascot's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes, which takes place on July 24 and is due to feature Derby hero Adayar.

BHA chair Annamarie Phelps added: "We are delighted to hear the prime minister's announcement today. Monday. July 19 will be a significant day for all sports, and very much so for British racing. This news comes as a huge boost to an industry which relies so heavily on its nearly six million race-going fans each year.

"A day at the races with the wonderful atmosphere generated by our racegoers is an experience unlike any other. Everyone involved in our sport has been looking forward to this news for the last 13 months, and worked tirelessly and with great patience to safely keep the show on the road in this time.

"While racing is perfectly suited to spectators enjoying a sporting experience in a safe environment, it may remain the case that some protocols around the operation of sporting events for participants and officials remain in place in order to protect sports from the potential impact of positive cases and close contact self-isolation requirements, and permit international competitors.

"We are currently working with our industry colleagues to consider how this might apply to racing and how our racedays will therefore operate from July 19 onwards, and we await further clarity from government. We also look forward to spectators being permitted to return to sporting events in Scotland and Wales in greater numbers in due course, and continue to engage proactively with the devolved administrations on this issue."

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