How Irish racing kept the show on the road - from the man who was in attendance

As almost 70,000 people roared home Al Boum Photo to a repeat success in the Gold Cup at the Cheltenham Festival, racing behind closed doors began in Ireland at Dundalk.

The HRI's decision to continue racing in this format had been made the previous day, after the government decision to limit external gatherings to less than 500 people.

The number of people allowed to attend meetings would be strictly controlled. One owner per horse, one handler per horse, journalists and photographers limited to one per organisation and no bookmakers. A unique experiment was about to begin.

Day 1: Dundalk, Friday, March 13

The day and date were ominous enough. Apprehension, uncertainty and more than a little pessimism were the prevalent emotions. Nobody could see how this situation could continue, some voices within racing were already clamouring against the experiment.

'Social distancing' was more of a concept than reality at this stage. With the normal press room population doubled by an influx of photographers you would ordinarily hardly see from one year to the next, social distancing was non-existent. Accounts from the weighing room suggested a similar situation. But it was a term that would be taken very seriously as the days went on.

Dundalk is a track where outside activity on a race day would not be very hectic, so the lack of people around the parade ring would not raise eyebrows.

Inside was a different story. The bookmakers' ring at Dundalk is in a covered foyer area between the parade ring and the downstairs restaurant. Normally there are plenty of people around, but on this occasion there were vacant pitches and the echo of your own footsteps.

Through the next set of doors to the deserted carvery restaurant, and then through the next set of doors to the downstairs bar. On any normal evening, you have to beat your way through people to get to the upstairs lift at the other end. Not this time.

For all the eeriness and emptiness, racing took place without a hitch.

Day 2: Navan, Saturday, March 14

For jockeys and trainers returning from Cheltenham, this was certainly a culture shock. Less than 24 hours previously, Paul Townend had ridden a treble, including a Gold Cup winner, in front of a raucous crowd on the final day of the festival. After winning the 2m6f maiden hurdle on Francin, he returned to empty stands and almost total silence.

Some early lessons had been learned from the previous evening's meeting at Dundalk. The IHRB's point man on-course was their head of communications Niall Cronin, and he acted with zeal in ensuring social distancing was observed. Jockeys not riding in a race were housed in the upstairs members bar beside the weighing room.

Day 4: Down Royal, Tuesday, March 17

While day three of racing behind closed doors had passed off without incident at Limerick, something was in the air, and it wasn't just the rain as we arrived north of the border. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was making an address to the nation tonight. A lot of people were convinced this would be the last day of racing, people on social media were gleeful this would be the case. Down Royal was determined to run a meeting that would give racing the best chance of surviving a total sporting cull.

Behind closed doors at Down RoyalCredit: Patrick McCann

Racecourse manager Emma Meehan had actually announced the previous week this meeting would run behind closed doors before even HRI had done so. She planned well.

Access to the weighing room was now strictly limited, which meant the media would have to be relocated. The plush corporate boxes in the new grandstand were made available. Four of them! A box each with any amount of alcohol available to drown our sorrows should this be the last day. God bless social distancing!

Not many trainers were attending these meetings, and this was the first where jockeys used their cars en masse to spend time alone between races. It all seemed academic though. The mood was as sombre as the incessant rain on leaving Down Royal that evening.

Day 5: Dundalk, Friday, March 20

The stay of execution began. The Taoiseach's Tuesday night address was not to announce a lockdown or even restrictions that were too heavy. Rally the troops, gird the loins, let's do this together. The nation responded positively.

Racing was given the green light to continue, even in the face of Britain drawing stumps on Tuesday evening after two days of racing behind closed doors. Restrictions were increased, and stringently.

No owners could now come racing, there would be no evening or double fixtures in order to reduce the strain on medical resources, no overseas runners would be permitted, and the maximum time between races would be 30 minutes to aid social distancing.

Dundalk was the guinea pig once again. Having staged the first behind closed doors meeting a week earlier, the track would now stage the first meeting under the strict new protocols, one of which meant the fixture commenced at 1.30 rather than 5.00.

It was not exactly a positive sign to arrive at the track just before noon and find every gate in the place locked. After eventually gaining ingress via the stable yard, the new restrictions manifested themselves.

The weighing room was cordoned off, any business normally done there would now require a wait at the front door in search of an audience with an IHRB official. The glass front of this building was festooned with yellow notices of Covid-19 etiquette and social distancing.

Conversation turned to how long racing could go on for. The optimists were as plentiful as the pessimists. What was agreed on most was that racing was done as soon as the Order Of Malta ambulances would be needed by the government. Or if the virus got into one of the major stables.

The enclosures quickly filled with jockey's cars. Where there were once people there were now automobiles. But social distancing was now being practised with zeal by everybody. The message was hammered home wherever you looked, and it was probably announced more then 20 times during the day over the PA.

People put up with it, embraced it, recognised that if this was what was needed to keep the show on the road then it would be done without demur.

There really are times when you love this community.

Day 6: Thurles, Saturday, March 21

It was a pity Thurles had to end its season in this manner. This Saturday fixture has only been on the calendar for a few years, but it has rapidly turned into one of the more popular fixtures, with the feature Grade 3 chase being run in honour of the track's late and great owner Pierce Molony.

It was not all doom and gloom. ITV covered five races on the afternoon, and without it being vocalised, there was a feeling Thurles could not have been ending its season at a more opportune time.

Day 7: Downpatrick, Sunday, March 22

While Thurles ended its season the previous day, Downpatrick started with its flagship Ulster National meeting. This venue would have been absolutely thronged in normal circumstances.

Richard Lyttle is probably the best racecourse manager on the island. He gets people through the gates, he is innovative and forward thinking in his ways of doing so, and firms clamour to sponsor races there. It had to be absolutely gut-wrenching for the €50,000 feature to be run in front of empty stands.

Social distancing sign at Downpatrick on March 22Credit: Patrick McCann

They went out of their way to ensure social distancing too. The enclosures at Downpatrick are not really suited to the mass parking of cars, so they erected two huge marquees at the back of the weighing room for jockeys to pass the time between races.

Even the time jockeys could spend in the weighing room was restricted. They could only remain in there if they were riding in an upcoming race and could only go in to weigh out when the riders in the previous race had left the building. But we were treated to a potential top-class performer in Ballyadam, runaway winner of the bumper.

Day 8: Naas, Monday, March 23

The most inauspicious start to a Flat turf season ever. It did attract plenty of media attention though, with an RTE camera crew on site and plenty of attention given to social distancing. There were a couple of new wrinkles.

To avoid any congestion in the small weighing room, scales were brought out to the parade ring to facilitate jockeys weighing in. Those that didn't have to weigh out for the next race could then go straight to their cars, and the enclosures at Naas were chock full of them. It's just as well that automobiles didn't have to adhere to social distancing.

Day 9: Clonmel, Tuesday, March 24

“Today is the last day,” said various people on arrival at Clonmel. They were saying the same last Tuesday, was the counter-thought.

The restrictions were becoming second nature now. A further restriction was put on photographers, who could no longer get close up to photograph winning connections post-race. But shortly after Bachasson landed the feature conditions chase, the news came.

Walking back to the Supporter's Club rooms, where the media were housed for the day, I came across Paddy Orr from SIS. “It's all over Justin,” he said. And then the news was read. The government was cancelling all sporting events, including those behind closed doors.

We knew we were on borrowed time, but it still left a feeling of numbness amongst those of us advocating for racing to continue having seen first-hand how well it had worked, how little tweaks every day had improved the situation, and that it was working as well as it possibly could.

Bidding farewell to colleagues one had soldiered with for years, from Sligo to Wexford, from Downpatrick to Killarney, and all points in between, you couldn't help but wonder what the future held and how many of us would be back.

Conclusion

Racing behind closed doors was a solution that met with plenty of scepticism at the beginning, and it was well founded among even those willing to give it a chance.

Those who did give it a chance were rewarded. It was clumsy enough at the start, and there were teething difficulties. But day after day, questions were posed and lessons were learned.

Every venue did its best, but it was apparent some tracks were better suited than others. In general, the venues with more modern facilities and more space struggled less, particularly with the all-important aspect of social distancing.

When racing returns, it is almost certain that this is the format it will return to for a period of time. With the experience gained from these nine days in March, you would expect the venues selected to race will be the tracks with the best scope to cope with the required demands.

Whether you approve of racing behind closed doors or not, the atmosphere surrounding such meetings will be different.

In March, meetings were held with the expectation that the Sword of Damocles could be wielded at any hour, let alone any day. This time, they will be held in the expectation that we are getting ready for the day the gates will be fully opened, and things will be returned to normal.

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