16 March 2020
Starting on Tuesday 17 March, LeTrot and France Galop, the two associations that organise and are in charge of the racing sector in France, have decided to suspend all race meetings until Wednesday, 15 April.
Jean-Pierre Barjon, President of LeTrot, and Edouard de Rothschild (France Galop) explained:
“Our top priority is the wellbeing of everyone involved in the horse racing industry and to be fully compliant with the state directives. Above all, we want to protect everyone from the current pandemic, which is why we have suspended all race meetings. With this decision, the French horse racing industry also shows its solidarity and responsibility towards the whole nation."
"We are fully aware of the economic impact of cancelling race meetings. For this reason, we ask all the different businesses and sectors involved in the racing industry to supply the organising associations (LeTrot and France Galop) with feedback. In the coming weeks, we encourage the industry associations to collect relevant observations, trade by trade, and to pass them on to us. This will be the first step in safeguarding our industry."
"LeTrot and France Galop teams are already teleworking, and we will continue to supply information as the pandemic develops."
"These are exceptional times of unprecedented gravity. We know we can count on the commitment of all stakeholders to overcome this pandemic as quickly as possible. You can also count on our commitment and our determination: No one will be abandoned."