The Coronavirus pandemic is continuing to result in mass postponements and cancellations of events around the world. The major event being the Olympic games in Tokyo, Japan, which has now been moved to the same period in 2021. The European championships have also been moved to next year and Wimbledon has been cancelled this year, which means that it will be the first year it has not taken place since the second World war. This giving a further example of the severity of the situation at hand.
Racing has also ground to a complete halt, as the Grand National was also cancelled this year. This was following a successful Cheltenham festival in March, which many believed should not have taken place. That was the period when the virus was just starting to increase across the UK. So the wait continues to go on, as to when we will see the return of racing? This is leading to a major change in punters behaviour on gambling, as they transition from sports betting over to online casinos. This has been shown in near record numbers of players on these different platforms. But with this means restrictions need to be in place to protect players and these ones aren’t covered by gamstop, so it is important to stick to ones that are, if you or someone you know is a vulnerable player.
Moving back to racing and we have now had further event postponements, with the 2020 classic generation now seeing the first four classics of the season postponed. They are now looking for different dates for these races to take place, as they are so important in the careers of many of these horses. These races being the Guineas and Derby meeting at Newmarket and Epsom racecourse.
This was set to see the return of Pinatubo, which is one of the most anticipated returns of recent times. He was set to go off as the very short priced favourite, as he looks to continue his progression. Pinatubo of course finished his two year old campaign as the highest rated European juvenile since 1994, that included a higher rating than the great Frankel. A horse who ran out one of the most impressive winners of the 2000 Guineas in the history of the race. When we next see the horse is now up in the air but hopefully the wait will not go on.
Royal Ascot is another future event that could also be cancelled. However, they have recently stated that if it does take place then it will be behind closed doors. This would be a major positive for connections, on a meeting that is one of the most important on the racing calendar.
The wait goes on and let’s hope racing returns sooner than later!
