Horse racing is scheduled to resume at Newcastle on Monday with a monstrous entry of 369 potential runners for a race card which looks set to host a maximum of 120 horses.
The Government is on the verge of giving the official go ahead for the event, with one government describing horse racing bosses as “itching to get back”.
The behind-closed-doors race meeting will be the first in Britain since March 17.
Trainer Richard Fahey has accounted for nearly a tenth of the entries having put forward 33 horses to run.
He told Racing Post: “All we are trying to do is get back to work and I’m delighted that it looks like we are getting there. It’s very important that we get back racing and, if this had dragged out any longer than it already has, it would have been catastrophic for the industry. It would put many people in a position where they would never recover.”
The final fields for Newcastle are expected to be announced on Friday.
If all goes according to plan, the first Classics of the season – the 1000 and 2000 Guineas – will be run at Newmarket the following Saturday.
