French 1000 and 2000 Guineas to be run at Deauville

The French 1000 and 2000 Guineas will be run June 1 at Deauville, French racing authorities announced Wednesday night in a quick recalibration of the racing schedule necessitated by a governmental change in coronavirus-related policy.

Tuesday, it was announced that tracks in four French prefectures would be forced to shut down in advance of a state-stipulated tightening of protocols meant to suppress Covid-19 infection rates, which have recently spiked in the affected areas. Among the tracks shutting down again after a May 11 reopening is Longchamp, where the two French classics for 3-year-olds were supposed to be staged. The Guineas races also were held at Deauville in 2017 and 2018 while Longchamp underwent renovations.

Chantilly and Saint-Cloud are the other two major tracks forced to close because they are in designated “red zones” of actively circulating coronavirus. France Galop, the French racing authority, reallocated all upcoming cards at shuttered tracks to venues situated in “green zones” where no changes to current protocols are required.

The French government has set June 2 as the next date a map separating the country into green and red zones could be redrawn.

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