- As far as jump racing in the UK goes, we are pretty certain how the season will end.
Cheltenham was the last major event to take place, with the Grand National cancelled and all other racing until the end of April at least.
However, attention now turns to the flat racing season, ran from the end of March until November. We have already lost the first month of the season and some key races, so how will flat racing change during 2020 to cope with coronavirus?
The decisions are unlikely to be made until we know how long the racing lockdown will last for. We are likely to see a big change because one of two things will happen.
The first is that we could see big events moved to a different date, and the second is we could lose races all together.
The Possibility of Moving Race Dates
For racing fans, if we are going to lose time then this is certainly the best outcome. It would allow the biggest meetings in the calendar to be moved around, so they can still take place.
This would likely mean a condensed fixture, some smaller races lost and some strange dates for the traditional meetings. However, events such as the Guineas weekend, Dante Festival and Chester May Meeting which are all in early May, could be saved and pushed back.
That will certainly be the hope of punters who like a bet on horse racing. These events are some of the biggest betting races of the entire calendar, attracting big business for bookmakers. Those who bet, and those who accept bets, will be hoping as many as possible of these take place.
When those big events do come around, racing fans will be able to use risk free bets no deposit offers to help placing bets. The expectation is that there will be a lot of racing and bets will be coming thick and fast.
Could Early Meetings be Lost?
There is a chance that some of the meetings won’t be moved and they will be lost. The first two classics take place in early May, so they must be in doubt if they cannot be moved.
The problem with these two races is that trial races for horses running in them are all in April, so there would be few options for horses to run before their big day.
This is something that punters are potentially going to have to work out. If a horse traditionally needs a run to get fit then they are likely to be at a big disadvantage.
Starting off in May or June with the cancellation of all races before the resumption date would cause a lot of problems for trainers up and down the country.
Will Royal Ascot go Ahead?
When it comes to flat racing, while we have the five individual classics to look forward to, Royal Ascot is the big week of the season.
We have five days of action from Tuesday to Saturday, many Group 1 races and international challengers coming from all over the globe.
Should the meeting go ahead, it will be fantastic news for racing. However, there could be some kind of ban on international runners this year to prevent those from elsewhere travelling to the UK.
The meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday 16th June, which is weeks after the current ban expires. For the good of the industry, those who are involved in racing in any kind of way will be hoping the meeting goes ahead.
