A Look at Horse Racing Events and What Will Change

Horse racing has, like every other sport, seen huge amounts of changes in the last few months. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has affected everyone in the horse racing scene from owners to jockeys, horses to bookmakers. It caused a hugely delayed, disrupted and often, cancelled, 2020 fixture list. But, as we move into a new year, fans of the sport can only hope to see some sort of return to normality. Of course, there is not going to be a complete return to normality and many guidelines and restrictions are still going to be enforced up to and down British racetracks. Let’s take a look at horse racing events and see what will change with them in the 2021 calendar year.

Grand National

The Grand National at Aintree racetrack was cancelled completely last year due to its timing being bang in the middle of the first lockdown and wave of Covid-19. This saw ‘the big one’, as it is aptly referred to, being replaced completely by the Virtual Grand National. Now whilst, this computer-generated race is not on the same level of entertainment as the actual horses competing against each other with a live crowd at the racetrack, the virtual race at least offered punters some form of racing event to place free best for, enjoy and cheer along to. This turn of events has perhaps opened up the sports side of horse racing to a wider audience and is sure to have created an impact on the sport with this. Perhaps, this will see more Virtual races in the future or further technological advancements which may enhance the sport further than they are currently. It clearly has a very different feel to it, but it is important to be prepared for further changes similar to this Virtual Grand National in the future. It is not the same as the real race, particularly when Tiger Roll is on to equal Red Rum’s monumental record, but it still allows for a fun wager with friends and family.

Royal Ascot

The CEO of the Ascot racetrack is already having serious doubt about the return of normality to their racetrack. Historically significant and with a tendency to draw huge fans to the track the Royal Ascot racecourse relies on fans attending the track. This year, the CEO has already implied that many of the races here, including the big weekend of racing in June, could be behind closed doors. This would be not only a huge blow to the racetrack but bookmakers and fans alike who will lose out on yet another year of great entertainment. Whilst trying to remain optimistic about some sort of return of fans, the management at Ascot have confirmed that if fans do return it will be following social distancing guidelines, with less fans able to make it to the ground and there will be some form of vaccination proofing programme in place. This ultimately, will restrict the atmosphere and stunt the feel of the event considerably, particularly compared with the normal electric atmosphere. Nevertheless, we can hope to see a return of fans at the Royal Ascot this year – our fingers are crossed!

Cheltenham Festival

Speaking of wagering, horse racing has suffered huge losses due to the lack of fans at the racetracks, particularly for the bigger events on the fixture list. One of the biggest fixtures in British horse racing is the Cheltenham Festival which plays host to the Gold Cup – up there with the most prestigious race in the country. This tends to draw huge crowds and massive betting pools. Without large attendances at the racetracks, there less chance of attracting as many people to bet on the race. Indeed, online gambling has greatly aided the horse racing community throughout the pandemic, but this alone will not help the racetracks financially. Without as many people and as much betting on the races put on by the tracks, horse racing is facing tough decisions. This could ultimately lead to racetrack closures. The sport relies on fans and without them is struggling. Despite this, the beauty of the 21st century is that technology gives many punters the option to gamble on their horse selection from the comfort of their own horse. This means the interest and entertainment provided by the sport continues with people and hopefully means that when fans do return they will be more eager than ever before to get suited and booted, fill the concourses up and down the land, and pump some much needed money and confidence back into this massive sport!