Racing in France will begin May 11

Live racing will return in France starting on May 11, though without spectators and with bans on shippers from other racing jurisdictions, the country’s racing authority announced on Wednesday.

France-Galop, which governs Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing in the country, said that the plan to resume racing still has details to be worked out, but for now, racing will return to some tracks on the May 11 date with protocols that will restrict attendance to one trainer, one jockey, and one groom for each horse entered.

As in many European countries, racing in France rotates among tracks in the country’s major cities and throughout the countryside. A racing calendar will be released next week, France-Galop said. Jockeys and horses from outside France will not be allowed on the premises of French tracks until at least the end of May.

French racing was shut down completely on March 17 as the COVID-19 outbreak began disrupting daily life throughout the developed world.

In a statement, France-Galop said it would prioritize health protocols during the operation of the race meets. The statement also pointed out that while racetracks have been idled since the shutdown, the care of horses has been taking place unabated.

“Tens of thousands of French households rely upon horse racing, from stud farms to stables, where a large workforce works for horses and their well-being,” said the statement released by France-Galop. “While the races were stopped, most of them continued their activity since horses, especially those trained for competition, cannot live in confinement. The stables and the breeding [industry] therefore continue to operate, without being able to count on the income from competition, their raison d’etre.”

Elsewhere in Europe, racing authorities in Britain last week put in place an indefinite hold on resuming racing behind closed doors after initially planning for a return to spectator-free racing as early as May 1. Germany’s racing authorities continue to target May 1 as a possible return to racing.

In Ireland, the administers of the immensely popular summer Galway Races festival, scheduled for July 27-Aug. 2, announced on Tuesday that if the race meet is held this year, it will be closed to the public. However, a statement from the organizers also said that they are planning to hold the races spectator-free.

“It may prove possible to run the Galway Races behind closed doors, dependent on government policy and the approval of Horse Racing Ireland and [the] Irish Horse Racing Regulatory Board,” the statement read. “This would be for the benefit of the racing industry, our valued partners, and our television audience at home and internationally. We are currently planning for this scenario and will update you on progress as and when we can.”