Good morning all,
After a 76-day absence horse racing returns to England today. Ok, it’s behind closed doors but given I don’t think we’ll see large crowds at any sporting fixture for some time, it’s better than nothing.
I’m chomping on the bit, as I’m sure you are, for what looks a great week’s action culminating in three great days racing at Newmarket from Friday to Sunday.
It’s certainly going to be different that’s for sure. Not only is it behind closed doors. There are also some other restrictions being put in place, at least for the short term. The number of fixtures is much reduced, the field sizes are limited to 12 runners and jockeys from other countries won’t be able to ride due to quarantine reasons.
The temptation to go in “all guns blazing”, is there, given how starved we have been of the sport we love. However, I suggest a fair degree of caution on the betting front at least for the first couple of weeks.
Newcastle hosts the first British horse race meeting since the sport was shut down on March 18th. It’s a bumper ten race card with each of the races containing the maximum twelve runners allowed under the new regulations.
I decided at the start of the year to concentrate on the better class of race and nothing during the enforced break has changed my mind on that score.
There will be selections later in the week but I will be sitting today out.
Cheers
John