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The YORKSHIRE EBOR FESTIVAL is to take place on the 19th – 22nd Aug 2020 at York Racecourse behind closed doors, with no paying crowds.
However, there is a slight possibility that the situation will change before August 19th.
I am unsure if i feel ready to go back amongst the crowds … but i reckon many people are keen to return…..
I have heard rumours that fans maybe be back at football stadiums at the start of the new season, restricting the numbers at first.Lets see…
The a small article in the press about letting 1000 people in (socal distancing of cos ) to watch Surrey and Middlesex cricket match yesterday as a trial for crowds returning to sporting events. It’s my opinion that racing could easily follow the same path.
You've got to accentuate the positive.
Eliminate the negative.
Latch on to the affirmative.
Don't mess with mister in between.If racing doesn’t take a firm stand with the government and push for a return to normal operation asap, with each individual allowed to decide for themselves if they want to attend, then there’ll be very little left if and when life gets back to normal.
The courses can’t survive for long with no income from admission, corporate, sponsors, catering etc. The money paid out by the Levy Board for the first three months will all be gone by the end of August. The courses are left with reduced money from media rights (fewer betting shops open) that will barely cover their ordinary running costs, let alone provide for payment of prize money.
Currently we don’t even have a fixture list for September, let alone any details on the specific race program or prize money after August 31st. And that’s because there’s no information on offer that would let the courses make realistic financial plans.
The mildewed grapevine here in York is whispering that Members, or some of them, are going to be permitted to attend the Ebor meet, though can’t find official confirmation. Perhaps the racecourse management are awaiting the government guidance following the recent ‘pilot scheme’ of allowing the public to attend a cricket match at The Oval
The meetings held on the last two Sundays have been quite well attended: family picnics around the perimeter seem to be popular, as does leaning on the sturdy ‘crowd control’ fencing now lining the course a metre or so off the rails, and clustering around the starting stalls
All good fun and it’s nice to see folk trying to make the best of bad times; but quite eerie to stare across at the empty cavernous stands and watch the runners cross the finishing line in silence
BHA needs to push for racecourses to be treated differently to football,cricket grounds etc as they are completely different and more open.
It’s ridiculous that we can visit a funfair or spend a week at Butlins but not visit a racecourse.
It’s also coming up to the time when payments come out for Cheltenham membership… it’s a lot of money to pay out if I’m not allowed in.Racing is supposed to be able to have spectators on Saturday, heard on telly this morning that Goodwood is one of the first meetings to reintroduce them.
You've got to accentuate the positive.
Eliminate the negative.
Latch on to the affirmative.
Don't mess with mister in between.RedRum,
What’s happening at Goodwood on Saturday is a trial, involving selected annual members and guests only, no paying public. They will admit a maximum of 5,000 people, who will be distributed across seven separate areas on the course. Once inside one of those areas, they cannot move anywhere else on the course.
So if your area is by the paddock, you can’t watch the race except on a screen. If it’s on the stands, you can’t go to the paddock to view the horses, etc. Nor are the bars open and there will be a maximum of four bookmakers present, if they can actually find four that are willing to attend with the rule of no cash betting, only cards.
It’s a very pale imitation of what going racing is supposed to offer. And if it rains, it’ll be a very wet imitation as well!
Thanks for that apracing, wasn’t aware of the full details only what BBC Breakfast said this this morning. Of cos it makes no difference to me as I’ll be working.
You've got to accentuate the positive.
Eliminate the negative.
Latch on to the affirmative.
Don't mess with mister in between.This could have a more negative effect. Football/cricket spectators are allocated seats. Not sure what the ruling is regarding the cricketing pilot scheme? Can you go for a walk around the ground? Is the hospitality open or do you have to take your own refreshments? If you have to sit in the same seat all day (except for the call of nature) then it’s quite easy to police. Racegoers usually sit/stand where they choose and due to the openness will be much harder to police.
Will there be any on course bookmakers at the Saturday meet and will these accommodate the whole 5,000 crowd or just those in a certain designated area
“Pilot sports events would be cancelled from 1 August”
So reports The Guardian following Johnson’s announcement that further planned easings are being delayed
Presumably this means that Goodwood tomorrow will revert to ‘behind closed doors’ again
Even though I still feel that Cheltenham should have been held behind closed doors it’s beyond me why limited numbers of people are now not going to be allowed at Goodwood tomorrow, especially as so many safety measures had been put in place. I still don’t actually know what I’m allowed or not allowed to do but, as me, Mike and the dog have pretty much shut ourselves off from society it doesn’t really matter.
I still don’t actually know what I’m allowed or not allowed to do
Depends where you live moe. I am in one of the affected areas which means I can’t have visitors or visit anyone indoors including meeting friends for a beer in a pub. Although I can go to a pub and possibly see mates in there, just can’t arrange to meet them
There has been a backlash with one of our local MPs who has blamed the BAME community for this and the reason for such quick restrictions was to curb the Eid celebrations. I’m not saying that the BAME community have been adhering to social distancing rules but I have seen instances of all people breaking the rules. The scenes at Elland Road last week for one.
I’d have thought that in light of the imposition of renewed lockdowns in Greater Manchester and other areas in the north including Bradford it’d be a real stretch to allow the public to attend to a sporting event relatively nearby.
The end of the coronavirus situation is not in sight and the longer it goes on the impact on racing will quickly start to build real momentum. Investors (owners) have hung on, you do feel their patience, and pockets, will run out very soon.
To describe it as a crisis is to undersell it.
David
I was in York city centre on Thursday and the place was rammed: indistinguishable from previous high-summer days. The eatries, drinkeries, parks and tourist hotspots were busy but the retail shops quiet as this would have involved the donning of facemasks which were notably largely absent out and about amongst the non-socially distanced throng
It’s strange that rigorously controlled sporting events are deemed too risky but uncontrolled – or uncontrollable – carousing elsewhere isn’t
I get the impression that a significant percentage of the public have adopted the mantra ‘eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die’
Prize Money
The 2019 Ebor festival saw Mustajeer winning the £1m prize to become the first horse to win the handicap on the flat in Britain. However this year, the 2020 event is going to have a much lower priced money because the York racecourse made a 50% reduction in its price money due to a loss of 80% of its normal annual revenue, which comes from attendance of events and race meetings at the racecourse.
sign of the times we are in….“sign of the times” ………..
…… better relates to the fact some fool suggested throwing a million pounds at a heritage handicap and some bigger fool(s) agreed to it.
Result …… 22 runner handicap with a weight range of only 9 lbs. Very exciting – not really.
If it were to continue it’ll just become a consolation race for horses just below top class owned by the usual suspects who have ample opportunities at all the festivals during the season.2019 – £600k goes to a horse thats then bought and sent to Australia so nobody here will ever hear of it again.
Unless it wins that cup race ITV & Francesca are forever banging on about , like anybody really cares.Stupid idea, and I’m a York boy.
sign of the times we are in….
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