Racecourse chief points to positive signs from Events Research Programme report

Racecourse Association chief executive David Armstrong believes some of the lessons learned from phase one test events in the UK government's Events Research Programme could provide a strong indication about how life on racecourses may look in the coming weeks.

The encouraging headline data from the phase one report published on Friday is only 28 people tested positive for Covid-19 from more than 58,000 to attend a range of test events in April and May, including the FA Cup semi-finals and final at Wembley and the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield.

Racing and the wider events industry will be hoping for broad relaxation of the remaining restrictions on social distancing and thus numbers allowed to attend sporting and cultural fixtures on July 19, the current date for step 4 of the government's road map out of lockdown.