The global horse racing industry does its very best to attract spectators and handicappers to the industry’s live races and marquee events. Although, given the way things have shaken out over the course of the past few months, a handful of racing entities have staked a hard pivot for a cautious 180.
The world has been on alert since the current Coronavirus outbreak – an epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus – was identified this past December in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, China.
As of this writing, at least 82,589 cases have been confirmed. Additionally, confirmed cases have come from all of China’s provinces and 50 other countries, as well. Of the cases that have been confirmed, 8,469 have been classified as ‘serious.’ More than 2,800 deaths have been attributed to the disease. Of those 2,800 deaths, 67 have occurred outside of mainland China.
It is also important to note that more than 32,000 people have recovered since they were confirmed to have had been afflicted by the disease; and that the current epidemic is not related to the Coronavirus positive that was recently detected in a horse in North America.
The South China Morning Post has explained that, in response to the outbreak, the Hong Kong Jockey Club recently made the decision to lock fans out of the Lunar New Year race meeting at Sha Tin in an effort to reduce the risk of spreading the Coronavirus. The article went on to state that only 8,000 patrons were allowed to attend the marquee racing event – which usually draws more than 100,000 fans – but those that were allowed to be present at the track were required to be subjected to temperature before entering. The South China Morning Post article explained that the policy would be in place indefinitely.
Fans pictured packing Sha Tin during the 2019 Lunar New Year meeting.
A recent statement by the Hong Kong Jockey Club explained all will not be lost, handle-wise, though, as “some 800,000 fans, that is the overwhelming majority of fans, hold a betting account with the club and are able to participate in racing outside the racecourses via online and phone platforms.”
“With 700,000 to 800,000 fans watching our races on TV, it helps keep people at home rather than out on the streets and therefore helps to contain the situation,” said Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges.
“I think it’s a good step, they’ve shown great leadership,” Jockey Zac Purton was recently quoted as saying. “Obviously everyone’s health and well-being is paramount and with how easily and quickly this virus can spread, everything they can do to try and reduce that is good.”
Other global racing jurisdictions have followed the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s lead when it comes to enacting policy in light of the outbreak.
On Thursday, February 27, the Japan Racing Association announced that all central government-sanctioned horse races would still be contested, but that they would take place at empty race tracks for the foreseeable future. In nearby South Korea, horse racing events have been cancelled altogether.
In Britain, with racing’s Cheltenham Festival less than two weeks away, the Coronavirus threat has spurred the establishment of a steering group that has been put together to ensure the sport is as ready as possible to deal with any situation that arises.