Following reports of possible cases in the sport’s workforce, the BHA has insisted on hearing from any affected stable staffRacing’s ruling body is aware of possible Covid-19 cases in the sport’s workforce and issued a plea for anyone affected to come forward immediately, to minimise the spread and avoid derailing the sport altogether.“We have had some reports of potential cases,” Nick Rust, the British Horseracing Authority chief executive, said on Sunday though he stressed those cases had yet to be verified. Related: Talking Horses: Gosden says self-help is the way forward in Covid crisis Tips by Chris Cook Continue reading...
The trainer is not in accord with the BHA, which has appealed for ‘direct financial support’ to get the sport through the winterJohn Gosden saddled a winner here on Thursday and then spoke about the “grim outlook” for racing as it absorbs the news that its grandstands will remain empty for the next six months. “Of course you miss the crowds, and you start worrying about the future of a number of racecourses which may well have to go into receivership,” he said. “If it went on and on, I think it’s an inevitability that there will be major casualties.” Related: Talking Horses: mystery of cocaine horse set to remain unsolved Uttoxeter 12.30 Topofthecotswolds 1.00 Fusil Raffles 1.30 Our Rockstar2.00...
Phoenix Thoroughbreds claimed drug would not have affected Walk In The Sun’s performance but panel says it is ‘pointless’ speculating how it got there The troubled Phoenix Thoroughbreds racing operation claimed that cocaine found in the system of one of its horses after a race at Kempton Park in January 2018 would not have affected its performance, according to the findings of a disciplinary panel which fined the former trainer Jeremy Noseda £1,500 over the positive test this month.Walk In The Sun, who cost €1.4m (£1.2m) as a breeze-up purchase in the spring of 2017, was trained by Noseda from May 2017 to May 2018, when Phoenix removed its 14-strong string of horses in his stable to other yards. The...
Warwick welcomed crowds back but the next big test at Newmarket depends on whether the government announces new restrictionsIt felt almost like a normal midweek day at the races here on Monday as Warwick opened its new season in front of around 500 racegoers, perhaps a third of the usual attendance for its first meeting of the autumn. Whether the slow progress towards a widespread return of paying spectators will continue at Newmarket on Thursday remains to be seen, however, with the prime minister expected to announce fresh restrictions to combat the spread of coronavirus on Tuesday.Newmarket plans to admit 1,000 paying spectators – a combination of annual members and hospitality guests – on the three days of its Cambridgeshire...
Potential racing fans are put off by outcomes that essentially pulp the form book like Saturday’s remarkable gambleFor some committed fans, such events add to the gaiety of racing but I got off that bus a few stops back. Potential new enthusiasts are put off by outcomes that essentially pulp the form book. The cost of Dreal Deal’s win is not only to the bookies.Never mind Nahaarr finishing the Ayr Gold Cup like he had been fired from a cannon, the most jaw-dropping race of the weekend was at Navan on Saturday, when Dreal Deal sailed past a bunch of handicap hurdlers as if he had joined in at halfway. Related: Nahaarr wins Ayr Gold Cup to give Marquand another...