In a joint statement released on Monday, March 16, Le Trot and France Galop announced that horse racing in France will be suspended until at least April 15.

The suspension will come into effect on Tuesday, March 17.

Prior to Monday’s announcement, racing in France had been taking place with provisions in place. Those provisions had been implemented on Friday, March 13.

"Our top priority is the health of all stakeholders in the industry and compliance with state directives,” the joint statement reads. “By suspending all competition, we want first and foremost to protect them from the current pandemic. With this decision, the French horse racing industry also shows its solidarity and responsibility towards the entire nation.

“We are fully aware of the economic consequences of canceling the races. This is why we decided to organize a large flow of information from the companies in the sector to the parent companies. For this, we will propose to professional associations to collect all the useful elements, profession by profession, and to transmit them to us during the coming weeks. This will be the first step to safeguard our activity.

“The parent company teams are already teleworking and we will continue to communicate as the pandemic evolves.

The moment we are living in is exceptional and of unprecedented gravity. We know that we can count on everyone's commitment to contain the pandemic as quickly as possible; you can also count on our commitment and determination: no one will be abandoned."

(With files from Le Trot and France Galop)