Hanover Raceway begins its 60th season of live harness racing on Saturday, June 6 with a new first post time of 2:00 p.m.
On May 14, the Ontario government announced a framework to reopen businesses following the COVID-19 shutdown. Stage One allows horse racing without spectators on the premises and with physical distancing measures in place for all participants.
"As much as we'd love to see all of our great fans at the track, current circumstances don't allow us to be together. We encourage everyone to follow all of our harness racing action using one of the streaming options we have available," said Steve Fitzsimmons, Hanover Raceway's General Manager.
Fans will be able to enjoy the live action by streaming it in HD at hanoverraceway.com, the track's YouTube channel and Facebook page or the online betting portal hpibet.com.
"We will follow the COVID-19 Protocol Standards Guide designed by Ontario Racing, in concert with the Province of Ontario and other Ontario race tracks. Hanover Raceway has also been in conversation with the Town of Hanover, Grey-Bruce Public Health unit and local stakeholders to ensure the health and safety of all participants and staff," added Fitzsimmons.
Those protocols include:
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All persons accessing the backstretch/paddock area, must wear a mask at all times. Horse people will be responsible for providing and wearing their mask when seeking entrance to the race track and while on the premises.
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Temperature checks will be done on all persons and anyone with a temperature of 100.5° F or higher will be refused entry.
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A small questionnaire will also need to be answered as part of the screening process.
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Enhanced cleaning procedures
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Physical Distancing Guidelines as set out by the Province
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Controlled Access to the Retention Area
Hanover Raceway's broadcasts this season will include an all new Pre-Game Show hosted by Tony Elliott and more comprehensive between races analysis than ever before, something GM Steve Fitzsimmons feels will be very popular. "We are very focused on providing the best customer experience possible and one of the ways we can do that is provide more information and analysis to our bettors. With none of our fans being able to be at the track with us, this becomes even more important and I'm confident we can deliver the entertainment value that will make that a huge success."
Hanover Raceway will have 15 Saturday race dates this season, running from June 6 through to September 19. For more information, please visit hanoverraceway.com.
(Hanover)
Doesn’t Hanover's 1st COVID
Doesn’t Hanover's 1st COVID protocol conflict with the statement issued by the CPMA's Return to Racing. The 4th paragraph states, "Racetracks must assign a person to control access to the retention area and to hand out masks and gloves." Just wondering?
Brett Carachi