LONDON • English horse racing's resumption after being at a standstill for over two months due to the coronavirus pandemic was like "the first day at a new school", said Mark Spincer, managing director of the racing division of Arena Racing Company (ARC).
Racing is also the first mainstream sport to resume, with English football set to follow on June 17.
It was certainly a new look at Newcastle racecourse - one of 16 racetracks ARC operates - with jockeys, trainers, stable lads and lasses sporting masks and having had to pass temperature tests before being permitted onto the premises.
Trainers and jockeys stood on designated white markers in the paddock pre-race to observe social distancing regulations and there were no spectators to either cheer the winners or heckle beaten favourites.
The 22/1 outsider Zodiakos earned himself a little piece of sporting trivia by being the first winner of the new-look racing scene.
"The atmosphere was strange having a small amount of people here," Spincer said. "Also strange was there was quite a lot of excitement from those involved - from the horse-box drivers to the stable lads and lasses. It was like the first day at a new school."
Leading jockey Andrea Atzeni celebrated the return with a winner and missed a double in the last, losing out by a neck. The 29-year-old Italian said wearing a face mask took some getting used to.
"The mask covers your mouth and nose and it was a very warm day," he said. "Having not ridden competitively for two months, you need a bit more oxygen than usual.
"You felt it more when you were easing up after the finish and having pushed a horse for the final two furlongs (about 400m) you wanted a real blow of oxygen. It is not difficult to breathe but it limits it. However, to be honest when the gates opened, you were not thinking of the mask as the adrenaline is coursing through you."
Atzeni - who along with his fellow jockeys changed in a public bar which had been adapted so they could have their own space - said he had not noticed the lack of spectators, as Monday meetings rarely attracted a large crowd.
"We will realise the difference (no spectators) on Friday with the Coronation Cup at Newmarket and the Guineas races on Saturday and Sunday," he said.
For bookmakers, the first racing meeting since March 17 had the phones ringing - their shops remain closed - after a very fallow period. "UK racing was back with a bang," William Woodhams, chief executive officer of Fitzdares said.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
