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CLARITY NEEDED

Trainers call for clarity over racing restart and fixture list with no decision made on Royal Ascot and Guineas

TRAINERS are still hopeful racing could be one of the first sports back in action.

Hit by news that resumption plans were pushed back to at least June 1, handlers are hoping the sport can make its case for the go ahead before the likes of football.

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Credit: PA:Press Association

Some are frustrated racing has been clubbed together with contact sports, while France and Hong Kong race on.

John Gosden quipped that going to a fixture behind closed doors would be safer than going to the supermarket on Radio 4 after Richard Hughes said Lingfield Park would be safer than Hyde Park.

And it’s a common feeling within the training ranks.

Devon-based Rod Millman told Sun Racing: “The country is buggered and we can’t just bang around and say we should be racing. But we need to make a case based on merit that we can race safely.

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“We’ve got a model to use from around the world, as shown by the French over the last couple of days.

“We need some strong leadership. We don’t know what’s happened behind the scenes but I certainly hope the BHA have pushed hard for our sport.

“If not I’d be very disappointed, they are my trade body and I would expect them to be making our case.

“We just want a fair hearing and no one could argue getting a behind closed doors race meeting is the same as a match in the Premier League.”

The Resumption Group is back at work to come up with another new fixture list with the likes of Royal Ascot and the Guineas on the to-do list and it’s left many trainers hoping for some much-needed clarity.

Newmarket trainer Stuart Williams said: “It is very disappointing, but we’ve got a date now and we need to work to it.

“We need June 1 to be set and a fixture list to go with it.

“It’s disappointing we’ve been put together with other sports as we are clearly different in nature, but unfortunately we just have to get on with it.”

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Williams, who has warned owners are starting to look to the likes of France with their horses, also hinted at some frustration with the BHA’s handling of the crisis.

He added: “I’ve had nothing to do with the resumption, Ralph Beckett has been involved with that and he was dissatisfied with it and look I trust his judgement on that matter.

“He thinks they could have been more vigorous in their plans and how they went about it.”

Up north Ben Haslam also hopes for a more detailed fixture list.

The Middleham trainer said: “We understand the bigger picture but the pressure is starting to build.

“People rely on us to pay mortgages and I don’t think it’s irresponsible of us to get back behind closed doors.

“The logistics of it look to be in place and if they weren’t safe we would not be calling for a return.

“But we need to look forward now and our governing body needs to tell us a detailed race programme and a more extensive one than what was originally put forward.

“That could save us time and money as it’s been hard to train horses without a set date.

“Now hopefully we can get that with a more visible programme, we can plan much better and that would aid us as well as managing owners expectations.”

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