HORSE Racing Ireland (HRI) have unveiled the fixture list for the opening weeks of the season.
The first meeting back after the shutdown will be at Naas on 8 June, while the first Classics of the Irish campaign have also been pencilled in.
The Irish 2000 and 1000 Guineas will be held at the Curragh on 12 and 13 June, while the Irish Derby (27 June) and Irish Oaks (18 July) have retained their original dates.
The first jumps fixture since mid-March will be held at Limerick on 22 June, HRI confirmed.
For the first three weeks, racing will be restricted to nine racecourses which are ‘centrally located’ to minimise travel and which also have higher stable capacities given the requirement for one stable per horse under the new protocols.
The meetings will be made of eight-race cards to maximise opportunities for the horse population, while safety limits will be decided on a racecourse by racecourse basis.
But they also announced that prize-money levels would take a hit as a result of the Covid-19 shutdown.
The prize-fund for Group 1 races will be worst hit, with cuts to range between 30-50%. Entries fees for all races will be reduced in line with prize money reductions.
HRI chief Brian Kavanagh said: “With the confirmation on Friday of the resumption of racing on June 8, we are now publishing the fixture list and the associated details for the first three weeks of racing.
“We are grateful to everybody for the patience they have shown during this very difficult time and we will provide every opportunity for essential personnel to fully understand and implement the return to racing protocols.
“Regrettably, due to the financial circumstances of the industry, prize money cuts are inevitable and we have adopted a tiered approach, endeavouring to protect the grassroots of the industry as much as possible.
“We expect there to be significant demand for horses to run once we resume, and we will aim to provide opportunities across the spectrum of age, gender and ability. We will have missed 11 weeks’ racing which will take some time to catch up. We intend to do this over the course of the rest of the year rather than immediately.
“The resumption of racing will allow sales, trade and other ancillary services to get going again and will be widely welcomed in those areas.
“Horse Racing Ireland are liaising closely with our international counterparts regarding the resumption of racing in those countries and issues such as protocols, international runners and prize money levels.”
