Premier Daniel Andrews released the Government’s road maps out of COVID lockdowns for metropolitan and regional Victoria on Sunday, 6 September.
The road maps provide a safe and steady pathway towards the reopening of the state and will take into consideration the case numbers within Victoria at the time of designated milestones to determine whether they proceed as planned.
As flagged publicly by the Premier, Racing Victoria will be continuing to liaise closely with the Government over the coming weeks around major events during the Spring Racing Carnival.
The possibility of a limited number of owners and spectators returning to the track for the State’s major racedays has not been ruled out and remains the subject of these discussions that will be continuing throughout September.
Over the coming days RV will also be reviewing the road maps in consultation with its key stakeholder groups, including the VJA, ATA and Racing Clubs, to consider what impact they have on the industry and its biosecurity protocols.
This includes whether the differences between the metropolitan and regional road maps provides an opportunity for different approaches to be taken across the state.
On or before 25 September, RV will provide a further update to all owners on the situation regarding attendance at race meetings in October and beyond.
In the interim, a decision will be made in the next fortnight as to whether picnic and non-TAB meetings scheduled in the second half of October and November will proceed as planned.
These meetings are events where a certain level of attendance and local community engagement is fundamental to their conduct and success.
Should meetings be abandoned or postponed, we will be working to ensure that there are additional racing opportunities programmed across the professional circuit for those horses who would traditionally compete at these meetings.
An update on the country racing calendar will be provided to owners on or before 25 September also.