Newmarket test event hinges on safety meeting as Chester reveals mothball plan

Newmarket’s planned three-day spectator pilot at the end of the month hangs in the balance with the course far from certain it will be able to stage the event even with a significantly reduced attendance of 1,000.

The uncertainty facing Newmarket comes as more racecourses warn of the ongoing damage being inflicted by the ban on spectators, with Chester drawing up plans to mothball the venue for the entirety of 2021 and Scottish tracks withdrawing from pilots due to the financial impact of a potential last-minute cancellation, as happened with Goodwood and Doncaster.

A meeting is set to take place this week between Newmarket and local safety and public health groups to determine whether the Cambridgeshire meeting on September 24-26, one of two pilots planned that week alongside Warwick on September 21, will be able to take place with any sort of crowd after capacity for each day was slashed to 1,000 from 5,000 by the government last week.

New government rules limiting social interactions to six people come into force on Monday, as estimates show that the R rate of the coronavirus has exceeded 1, meaning the virus is rising in the population.

Newmarket has refunded ticket holders who were due to be the course’s first paying spectators of the year, with any slots available to the public should the pilot scheme go ahead being offered to the track’s annual members and sponsors.

Amy Starkey, Jockey Club regional director for the east, which includes Newmarket, said: “We’re keen to stage a pilot to help the sport take another step toward the return of crowds, which is so vital to the health of the industry.

“We’ve put a lot of work into getting to this point but there are no guarantees yet. All will be confirmed in the coming days through discussions with local authorities and our safety advisory group.”

Sporting venues have been working towards a limited return for crowds on October 1, as set out by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with culture secretary Oliver Dowden stating last week that he is “keeping under review” plans to ease restrictions at the start of next month, but that “we continue to plan for the best”.

Chester: reliant on the return of crowds for 2021Credit: Edward Whitaker

However, an indefinite extension of racing behind closed doors will likely prove too much for Chester with the costs too high to sustain, according to chief executive Richard Thomas.

He said: “If we were told we weren't having a crowd next year, we wouldn't be racing behind closed doors at Chester because we couldn't afford to do it.

“Any money we make from racing behind closed doors, we put back into prize-money, but we can't do that next year, and you wouldn't see Chester at all. We'd have to mothball the whole business, which is really scary.”

The Covid-19 crisis has already had a lasting effect on Chester Race Company, which also owns Bangor and runs Musselburgh, with 20 redundancies in Chester's full-time staff, and three in Musselburgh's groundstaff team.

“Be absolutely sure, if crowds don't come back there are going to be a huge number of sporting organisations that won't be here next year,” Thomas added. “That will include racecourses and football clubs, because none of us can survive without crowds.

“Eighty per cent of our income comes from crowds and the associated spend that comes with them. We employ 150 people, but the latest ruling means we don't have any Christmas parties, which is £100,000 of profit gone straight away.”

With uncertainty continuing to swirl around the ability of spectators to attend test events, the body responsible for Scotland’s five racecourses revealed they are withdrawing from any plans to stage pilots in the near future.

Paying spectators were able to attend the first day of the St Leger festivalCredit: Edward Whitaker

Musselburgh had plans in place to host 500 racegoers, with hopes rising after 700 fans attended a rugby match at Murrayfield in nearby Edinburgh last month, while crowds of 300 were permitted for two Scottish Premier League games over the weekend.

However, following the late cancellations of pilots at Goodwood and Doncaster, which both courses estimate caused a six-figure loss, Scottish Racing said the financial risk was too high.

Delly Innes, manager of Scottish Racing, said: “The racecourses that were actively planning for a pilot event cannot carry the financial liability involved for it to then be cancelled at short notice.

“Like all racecourses we’re keen to see crowds back but only when it’s safe to do so. It’s frustrating for everybody at the moment as we all want to get back to some sort of normality.

“Scottish Racing will continue discussions with the Scottish government, who we speak to on a daily basis, as to when it might be appropriate for racecourse pilot events to take place.”

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