Senior Irish Flat Handicapper Gary O’Gorman says extending the Irish season into December is “definitely an option”.
UK and Irish racing has been suspended since mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic, but there is an expectation that the action will be returning soon, albeit behind closed doors.
The UK government has revealed sport in England can return from June 1 without spectators, as long as the strict safety measures are brought in to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Irish racing is set to resume a week later, on June 8, and there are currently discussions taking place to what the racing calendar will look like in Ireland, after more than two months away.
John Oxx has thrown his support behind the season being extended into December and when speaking in an exclusive interview with Sporting Life, O’Gorman revealed he is in favour of this option.
“If tracks are up for it, then yes,” he said. “I think it’s definitely an option for mainstay racing and in terms of the Group races, some of the Listed and Group Three races that were lost earlier in the year could be pushed back into mid/late October.
“Our Group One races usually finish in mid-September and that will not change but I can see a case for the turf season being extended with the possibility of also staging some extra races at Dundalk.”
O’Gorman added: “The track surface change has been overdue at Dundalk but it’s especially timely given what has transpired recently. It’s a great source of solace in the current circumstances.”
