Coronavirus: UK horse racing suspended until end of April
Horse racing in Great Britain has been suspended until the end of April due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The decision by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) will become effective tomorrow.
It marks the latest major sporting event to fall victim to the health crisis as authorities ban mass gatherings in a bid to halt the spread of the virus.
“This is a national emergency the like of which most of us have never seen before,” said BHA head Nick Rust.
“Our first duty is to the health of the public, our customers and to racing industry participants and staff so we have decided to suspend racing following the government’s latest advice.”
Despite the disruption to the £4bn industry, Rust said the decision would help free up the NHS and emergency services to deal with the outbreak.
It comes a day after organisers cancelled this year’s Grand National at Aintree.
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However, two races today at Taunton and Wetherby will go ahead behind closed doors.
“Racing leaders will keep today’s decision under constant review and endeavour to keep all customers, participants, staff and dependent businesses informed as the situation progresses,” Rust said.
The situation is likely have a knock-on impact on the betting industry.
GVC, the owner of bookmaker Ladbrokes, has warned its monthly core earnings may drop by £25m.
The company also said its full-year core earnings could fall by £130m to £150m if all horse racing and football fixtures are delayed or cancelled.
Paddy Power Betfair owner Flutter, William Hill and 888 Holdings have also warned of a stark impact to full-year profit.
Wider sporting disruption
The final day of the 2020 Rugby Six Nations was cancelled last Saturday.
The opening race of the new Formula One season had been scheduled for last Sunday and was also cancelled.
Separately, it emerged this morning that the Euro 2020 championship will be postponed until next year.
It is unclear whether the planned Tokyo Olympics will go ahead.
Various other events in addition to retail chains have announced changes or suspension in their operations.