Crowds could return to horse racing events in New South Wales next month and the organisers of one of Victoria’s biggest races, the Caulfield Cup, are aiming to follow suit.
The NSW government said last week that crowds of 5,000 people would be allowed at racetracks once 70% of the population over the age of 16 is fully vaccinated.
NSW is currently projected to hit that target on 14 October, in time for crowds to return to The Everest, Australia’s richest turf race and the main event of Sydney’s spring racing calendar, which will be held on 16 October.
Organisers of the Caulfield Cup, held on the same day but in Melbourne, are preparing a proposal to allow 7,500 fully vaccinated racegoers on to the grounds.
In a statement to Guardian Australia, Melbourne Racing Club CEO, Josh Blanksby, said they had shown they were able to operate race days in a Covid-safe environment.
“Earlier this year we operated a number of race days with spectators under special event guidelines that included zones, mandatory masks, separate entry and exits and seated hospitality,” he said.
“We have proved that we have been able to do it under strict restrictions safely. If the Department of Health provided us with a Covid-safe framework that would allow us to have spectators we would of course put a plan in place – we can do this quickly and, we are confident, effectively.”
The Victorian racing minister, Martin Pakula, said the decision on whether to allow crowds at the racetrack would depend on the public health advice and that no decision had been made.
“We continue to talk to the racing clubs about what may be possible in terms of crowds for the carnival,” he said. “Ultimately clubs will submit Covid-safe plans and they will be assessed by the public health team based on the epidemiological conditions at the time.”
Daily case numbers in Victoria are climbing, with 473 cases reported on Monday – the highest since cases peaked in the second wave at 687 cases on 4 August last year.
Victoria is not projected to reach 70% fully vaccinated until mid November, and 80% in early December. So far, the easing of restrictions off the back of first dose figures have been very minimal – when 70% of the Victorian population over the age of 16 have received their first dose, which should happen by 17 September, the 5km limit in locked down Melbourne will be extended to 10km.
Both the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups last year ran without any crowds, including barring racing connections – owners and trainers – from attending.
There were just two new cases reported in Victoria on the day of the Caulfield Cup last year, and no new cases on the day of the 2020 Melbourne Cup. At the time, Pakula said it was “not a suitable time for gatherings of that nature”.
The racing industry has been allowed to continue to operate throughout lockdowns without any crowds at the track.
The decision to allow racing to continue has been criticised by some animal welfare groups who say that the exemption to allow workers to continue to feed, exercise and otherwise care for animals should not extend to holding race meets.
According to data gathered from racing stewards reports by the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses, 149 racehorses died or were put down following catastrophic injuries on Australian racetracks between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2021, including 2020 Melbourne Cup runner Anthony Van Dyck.
