26 April 2020

Even though we can get out and look after the horses, it is starting to feel a bit like Groundhog Day like everyone else I'm sure. With no races to aim for, the horses are just doing routine canters everyday to keep them fit without the top-end conditioning that will come when they are closer to racing. It does mean everyday is pretty much the same but we have been lucky to be doing the job in some gorgeous weather this week as the sun came out to play.

It is concerning that the death toll in the UK still hovers around the 800 mark per day and there isn't much sign of it dropping but at least it isn't rising dramatically. It will only be safe and appropriate for racing to return when that figure is a fraction of what it is currently so I think the middle of May forecast is a bit optimistic, maybe the end of the month is more likely. France and Germany look set to race again in a couple of weeks but I don't really know what their death figures are so it is hard for me to compare whilst Ireland seems to be getting things into place for some racing in the near future.

The world keeps turning though and people are still going about their work just like us. I had my first Zoom meeting this week with a representative of the BHA who is doing some research into women in racing and I must say that if one thing can come out of this, it's that more people work from home as I was very impressed with how the video calling worked. The lady I spoke to was interviewing 20 different women in racing and normally she would have had to have driven all around the country using petrol and clogging the roads to meet everyone. Using this method she didn't even need to leave home and I'm sure the end results will be no different to being there in person.