Horse racing will return in Britain on Monday after the sport was given the green light by government.
The briefing from Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Oliver Dowden gave racing fans the news they had been longing to hear, with less than 48 hours to go until the first fixture at Newcastle.
Meetings were suspended the week after the Cheltenham Festival due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Dowden said: "The wait is over. Live British sport will shortly be back on in safe and carefully controlled environments.
"This guidance provides the safe framework for sports to resume competitions behind closed doors. It's now up to individual sports to confirm they can meet these protocols and decide when it's right for them to restart.
"This is a significant moment for British sport. By working with clinicians every step of the way, we're creating the safest possible environments for everyone involved."
Racing professionals have been preparing for an action-packed programme of ten races at Gosforth Park, with the feature Betway Handicap run over 1m 4f at 5.05pm.
Leading trainers such as John Gosden and Sir Michael Stoute have runners, while champion jockey Oisin Murphy begins the defence of his title with three rides.
Gosden gave star mare Enable her first start at the track in 2016 and he saddles Frankel filly Frankly Darling, whose jockey Rab Havlin sports the Derby-winning colours of Anthony Oppenheimer.
The card gets under way at 1pm with the Betway Welcome Back British Racing Handicap.
Next weekend will bring the first Classic races of the season, the 2000 and 1000 Guineas- just two of 21 races to be shown live on ITV.
Royal Ascot has a 36-race programme this year and takes place from June 16-20.
