NZTR Establishes a Plan for Racing's Return

While racing has temporarily ceased in New Zealand as a result of COVID-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown restrictions, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) has put in a contingency plan for its resumption this weekend. On Tuesday evening New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the nation would enter COVID-19 Alert Level 4 restrictions as of 11:59pm on Tuesday for a period of three days, with Auckland and the Coromandel region remaining at Level 4 for an additional four days. As a result, Cambridge on Wednesday was abandoned, while Oamaru on Friday and Ruakaka on Saturday have similarly been abandoned. In preparation for New Zealand dropping to Level 3 on Saturday, with the exception of Auckland and Coromandel, NZTR have rescheduled meetings to recommence this weekend. “With racing able to recommence under Alert Level 3 restrictions, we are busy working with our participants, clubs, and sector groups to reschedule our racing,” NZTR chief executive Bernard Saundry said. We are planning at this point, assuming that by Friday afternoon that we come out of Alert Level 4 to Alert Level 3, that we will hold race meetings at Cambridge and New Plymouth on Saturday, and at Rotorua on Sunday. There will be 12 races at Cambridge and seven at the Taranaki meeting, with a 10 race programme scheduled for Rotorua.” Saundry explained, “It is a watch and see for us on a daily basis. We would all love to see us come out of this (lockdown) as quickly as possible, but we also have to be concerned about the health of the nation and making sure we can put racing back on the agenda as quickly as possible, and in a safe environment.”