'I'd be staggered if we're not in Tier 3': Wetherby may have no Boxing Day crowd

Wetherby chief executive Jonjo Sanderson fears high local Covid-19 rates may prevent the course hosting spectators on Boxing Day, the meeting which typically draws its biggest crowd of the season.

In order to be able to admit racegoers, the track needs to be placed in Tier 1 or 2 when the government reveals the post-lockdown zones which will apply from next Wednesday.

Up to 4,000 people will be admitted to outdoor sporting venues in the areas of England least affected by Covid-19 in Tier 1, a number which would drop to 2,000 in Tier 2. Under the government's winter plan to tackle the exit from lockdown in England, sport will remain behind closed doors in Tier 3.