Brian O’Connor: Realisation required that racing is a different beast to other sports

All things being equal it would be illogical for the Government to insist that Irish racing cannot resume behind closed doors until the end of June.

The Covid-19 pandemic makes the ‘all things equal’ qualification not only necessary but vital. Public health is the priority.

Statistical trends in the fight against coronavirus may be encouraging but maintaining them is of paramount importance and that’s at the heart of the Government’s five-phase plan for easing social restrictions.

The first phase on May 18th will see an ease of restrictions on some outdoor sporting activities such as golf and tennis. Racing is clearly an outdoor activity too and hopes had been high for a restricted return to action this month.

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However, Phase Three of the Government plan states that no sport behind closed doors will be allowed until June 29th at the earliest.

If racing is to return it will clearly take place behind closed doors so this is one of many grey areas in the plan in relation to sport.

However, for racing, which is both sport and an industry worth almost €2 billion to the Irish economy, and with up to 15,000 jobs tied up in it, another crucial grey area is how it comes under the administrative wing of the Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine rather than Sport.

So does the ban on sport behind closed doors until June 29th apply to racing or not? And if it doesn’t can it resume on May 18th?

Remarkably these are questions still hanging over the sector since Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s speech on Friday. That they haven’t been answered, and clarity supplied either way, is a significant administrative blunder no matter what the circumstances.

The relevance of this was underlined even further on Monday with indications that French racing is set to return behind closed doors next Monday.

Subject to the wider public situation not altering dramatically, the head of French racing's ruling body, France Galop, said Paris police have given a green light to racing at Longchamp almost two months after racing came to a halt in France.

Like in Ireland, racing in France comes under the brief of the ministry of agriculture rather than the sports department. As a result while all other major sport is cancelled there until September, racing can go ahead.

It’s an acknowledgement of the reality that it is a different beast in many aspects and crucially in this case because it’s nature lends itself to maintaining social distancing.

Both that and the sector’s wider economic significance have been reflected around the world in recent months.

Despite the Covid crisis racing has continued safely behind closed doors in major jurisdictions such as Hong Kong and Australia.

There is also evidence from 10 fixtures that took place in Ireland behind closed doors prior to lockdown on March 24th that the same could take place here. And that is without diverting medical resources such as Order of Malta ambulances, two of which have to be at every race meeting.

There are even hopes that racing may be allowed resume behind closed doors in Britain this month with ‘best case scenario’ plans reportedly in place for a start as early as Friday week.

Such a scenario in a neighbouring country that is one of the worst affected in Europe by Covid-19 would make for a stark contrast with Ireland should racing not resume here until June 29th.

At least one plus point to a grey area, and for racing not being mentioned specifically in the "Roadmap for Reopening Society & Business" is that it allows the semi-State body Horse Racing Ireland room to lobby.

Apparently it has been doing so hard over the Bank Holiday weekend but so far to no black and white affect.

It is doing so in a context of a couple of months of severe reputational damage to racing, particularly on the back of the controversial decision to allow the Cheltenham festival in March go ahead.

That was ultimately a decision for the British authorities but blowback in terms of public opinion extended to here too. So special pleading by racing may not be the most politically popular tack to take right now.

Considering the sector has also generated enough controversies of its own, there may even be a sense in the corridors of power about the chickens of Irish racing’s exceptionalism over the years coming home to roost.

Regardless of all that, the prospect of Europe’s two other major European racing powers, France and Britain, resuming this month while Ireland waits until almost July is a disastrous one.

No other country in the world has as much wrapped up in its thoroughbred industry as Ireland and racing drives that.

No one has to like or appreciate the sector to appreciate how, in a situation where it can be carried out safely, any undue delay in resumption smacks of economically cutting off your nose to spite your face.

There are any number of questions arising since Friday, not least of which is how such a glaring grey area was allowed occur in the first place, or why it is still there days later.

But ultimately, and always with the proviso of all things being equal, it simply makes no sense for Ireland to be not racing in a situation where France and Britain are. No one emerges a winner in such a scenario.