Covid-19 latest developments

Covid-19 continues to spread all around the world, and virtually no area is now free of this disease and almost every country has placed severe restrictions on the movement of people, including going shopping or socializing. There are still new and increased numbers of infections and deaths reported every day, however there are signs in several European countries (including Germany) that the rate of increase has flattened and that the situation is slowly beginning to improve. The German government is due to discuss the current state of affairs next Wednesday and it seems quite likely that some restrictions will be eased, e.g. that some shops or small restaurants will be allowed to reopen.   

However the problem with the current virus is that it is extremely contagious and can therefore spread very fast when people meet up in person. It is extremely unlikely that any large gatherings will be allowed in the near future, possibly not until the late summer or autumn. This includes all sports, and for example the German professional football league (Bundesliga) is hoping to resume on May 2^nd, but behind closed doors; a maximum of 240 persons will be allowed in the stadium, including the players, medical staff and officials and camera teams, as the matches will be shown live on TV.

Many other major sporting events have been cancelled altogether, such as Wimbledon, or postponed for a year, such as Euro 2020 and the Olympic Games. In the world of thoroughbred racing, the first four British classics (1,000 and 2,000 Guineas, originally scheduled for the first weekend in May, and Epsom Derby and Oaks in early June) have been postponed until later in the year – the new dates have not yet been announced – while all racing, as is the case with every other spectator sport, will be held behind closed doors for the foreseeable future, including Royal Ascot in mid-June.

The situation in Germany is similar. At the moment, all racing is cancelled until the end of April. Deutscher Galopp (aka Direktorium) this week published a provisional schedule for racing between May 1^st and June 15^th. All racing in that period will be held behind closed doors and with reduced prize-money (usually by 50%). A maximum of 80 persons will be allowed on the racecourse itself, including the jockeys, trainers, lads, medical staff, officials and camera teams, also a limited number of press representatives. Only one meeting a day will be staged, and several black type races have had to move dates or venues.

Hanover starts the ball rolling on May 1^st with three listed races; the big race on that date, Munich´s Bavarian Classic, a major trial for the German Derby, will now be run at Cologne on May 3^rd, presumably under a different name. That card also features the Carl Jaspers-Preis (ex- Gerling-Rennen), a Group Two event which is also normally the first race of the season for older Grand Prix performers. The Hoppegarten meeting the following Sunday, May 10^th, will now feature another classic trial, the Dr. Busch-Memorial, transferred from Krefeld´s abandoned April 26^th card, but the normal main event, the Group Two Oleander-Rennen, Germany´s top race for stayers, has been postponed till the autumn, probably November 1^st. May 10th would normally be “Irish Race Day” at Hoppegarten, but with no spectators and racegoers allowed, that will clearly not be so this time.

The two most significant changes concern Cologne´s Mehl-Mülhens-Rennen (German 2,000 Guineas) and Baden-Baden´s Spring Meeting. The former race will now be run on June 1^{st (Whit Monday), still at Cologne, but two weeks later than originally planned,}  while the Baden-Baden fixture will be reduced from three days to two and will be staged on the weekend of May 23-24, with possibly up two twelve races each day. Baden-Baden without racegoers seems weird, and there could still be problems here, as the hotels and restaurants in the area are still all closed. The German 1,000 Guineas is still scheduled to be run at Düsseldorf on Sunday June 7^th, and the main trial for the German Derby, the Union-Rennen, a week later at Cologne.

If these new dates can be adhered to, there should be no problems with the major events later in the season, and – touch wood- there seems to be no reason why the Deutsches Derby at Hamburg on July 5^th and the Preis der Diana (Oaks) at Düsseldorf on August 2^nd should have to be postponed or otherwise changed. The fact that the two main German classics, the most valuable races of the season, come a month later than the equivalent races in England and France is a clear advantage here. If we are lucky, things could be back to almost normal by August, although a Hamburg Derby Day without spectators also seems very strange. And of course such days mean a severe financial loss for the racecourse concerned; everyone in the racing world is going to suffer financially for the next few months, and one has to hope that trainers and jockeys can survive. For owners too it is going to be very tricky, especially with the 50% reduction in prize-money when racing resumes.

Leading European racing nations, the U.K., France and Ireland, all hope to resume in early May bit face the same problems. We have already had racing behind closed doors in France and Ireland, and basically it worked out well enough, but clearly it is not an ideal situation, and the racecourses are losing gate money, catering profits and their share of betting turnover. Still, it is better than no racing at all. It all depends on government-imposed guidelines, and, as stated above, it is hard to imagine any sporting or cultural events taking place with the public present in large numbers for many weeks.

At the moment the only racing taking place in Europe is in Sweden, mainly trotting, but they also had thoroughbred racing at a low level last Sunday. With all due respect, this is of minimal importance, but there is still top class racing staged – behind closed doors of course- in Hong Kong, Japan, parts of Australia and parts of the United States. There is a big meeting at Sha Tin (H.K.) this Sunday, and also the second weekend of the Champions Meeting at Royal Randwick (Sydney). There are several runners there with German connections, with Wittekindshof-bred Sweet Thomas (Dylan Thomas) due to run in the Sydney Cup, while Görlsdorf-bred Master of Wine (Maxios) is entered in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes – the two main events; Raheen House (by Sea The Stars out of a Monsun mare, and hence bred along similar lines to German Derby winner and successful young stallion Sea The Moon) is also a possible runner in the former race. In Japan, we are looking forward to next weekend´s Satsuki Sho at Nakayama, the local version of the 2,000 Guineas) in which the unbeaten Salios (Heart´s Cry) is expected to be one of the leading contenders; he is out of the Bona-bred German Oaks winner Salomina (Lomitas).

We wish all readers a good Easter weekend and stay healthy!