Horse racing set to go behind closed doors

Horse racing chiefs believe the sport could go behind closed doors within the next 48 hours because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Many sporting events worldwide have been postponed or suspended due to the pandemic, which has claimed the lives of over 6,000 people.

Last week, the Cheltenham Festival was one of the few sporting events in the UK to go ahead as normal with spectators in attendance, leading to criticism from certain bodies.

Racing has gone ahead this weekend with a crowd of over 8,400 at Uttoxeter on Saturday for the Midlands Grand National.

However, Martin Cruddace, the chief of Arena Racing which owns 16 racecourses, believes racing should not be open to punters and thinks restrictions should be imposed soon.

“We are outliers with other parts of the racing world, but I think we should be prepared for an imminent change,” he told Sky Sports Racing.

“My own personal view is that could be within the next 48 hours.”