Scottish horse racing to restart on 22 June

Scottish Racing has announced that horse racing in the country will resume behind closed doors from 22 June, following a period of suspension due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

All races will take place in accordance with the Scottish government’s route map for exiting lockdown, with Scottish Racing to hold talks with the government to ensure the safe running of races.

All racing in Great Britain was suspended on 18 March after initial plans to race behind closed doors were abandoned.

A provisional fixture list published by Scottish Racing shows racing will resume with a meeting at Ayr on 22 June, with racing to follow at Hamilton Park on 24 and 28 June, as well as a meeting at Musselburgh on 30 June.

A further 11 meetings are planned for July across Ayr, Musselburgh, Hamilton Park and Perth, while nine events are set to take place across the four venues in August.

Scottish Racing said all meetings would adhere to the specific guidelines set out by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) last week. These include a list of people allowed to attend meetings as well as rules on screening, social distancing and the usage of personal protective equipment.

The guidelines were developed in consultation with officials from Public Health England and a group of cross-sport chief medical officers, and drawn up under the direction of the BHA’s chief medical advisor, Dr Jerry Hill.

Confirmation of the return of Scottish Racing comes after the BHA last week also published a provisional fixture schedule for June, July and August, as English racecourses prepare to resume races from 1 June.

Plans are also in place for Welsh racing to restart, though the race programme and fixture list will only be confirmed following further consultation with the Welsh government.