19 May 2020
Tuesday, May 19, 2020. - A new bill specifying the procedures for opening racecourses is to be issued in the next few days. It should specify that horse racing activity is well ensured in the departments located in the green zone but not in those located in the red zone. The regions in red are Ile-de-France, Hauts-de-France, Grand-Est and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.
If the resumption of racing is reinforced by this forthcoming edict, France galop, its trotting equivalent Le Trot and the National Federation of Horse Racing deeply regret that the racecourses located in the red zone cannot operate as it has since May 11. The reinforced closed-doors protocol and all health measures have also been scrupulously respected since the resumption of racing on May 11. Regular checks were carried out and they revealed no problem.
The Racing Associations, however, take note of this decision which frames the conditions for the resumption of horse racing and will apply these new directives from Thursday. Certain prefectures such as Paris have already anticipated the publication of the decree by notifying France Galop and LeTrot this morning of the ban on opening their racetracks.
France Galop is working on reorganization plans for the May and June calendar and will announce as soon as possible where the meetings that were scheduled in the red zone will take place. This calendar is likely to change as soon as a red department turns green.