By Graham Thomas
Up to 12,000 race-goers will be denied their chance to “blow away the cobwebs” at the Welsh Grand National following the decision to take the race behind closed doors.
The biggest day in the Welsh racing calendar will take place in front of empty stands at Chepstow on December 27, following the move to remove fans from sporting events across Wales from Boxing Day.
Organisers of the showpiece event are likely to seek compensation of around £200,000 from the Welsh Government, but Chepstow executive director Phil Bell believes it is the social impact that will hit many regular racing fans hard.
After weather disruption in recent years – the 2020 race had to be rescheduled for January of this year – it’s another blow for the course and its staff.
“We are gutted for our loyal customers who come here every year. This is a massive social occasion for Wales,” said Bell.
“It’s not just a race meeting. This is where 10,000 to 12,000 people come to blow away the cobwebs after Christmas Day and Boxing Day and socialise with their friends.
“We have now lost that opportunity because of the restrictions and that’s the biggest blow – to people’s well being and sense of togetherness. People needed a boost.
I’m gutted for @Chepstow_Racing Welsh Grand National day offers a superb days racing & they create a fantastic atmosphere that’s hard to match anywhere else in the UK. https://t.co/v1pqxHyrgQ
— HAYLEY MOORE (@hayleyjanemoore) December 21, 2021
“This is what we work towards. This is our day in the sun – one of the biggest days in the racing calendar.
“But we are a very robust team of people, we have lost this event on previous occasions, so we are used to dealing with bad news. We are very resilient, which you need to be.
“Let’s hopefully get some compensation because we had been planning this for six weeks. There are marquees, bars, catering outlets, and toilets being fitted out and we’ve been paying out a lot of people’s wages.”
Chepstow organisers had also booked a stage, a band, and a big screen for the day and had made plans to cater for over 1,000 hospitality guests as well as 10,000 other punters.
Instead, the gates will be closed in a repeat of the situation when the delayed race was held in January.
But Bell admitted: “This has been building for a while. About a week ago, I was asked for an operational plan for how we would deal with a crowd of 10,000. We have gone from that to behind closed doors in seven days.
“It’s been a roller-coaster seven days, from thinking we might be able to have 10,000 people – with all the Covid passes and testing in place – to having nobody allowed in.
“Things do change daily in this pandemic so I’m not totally surprised by what has happened. The number of Omicron cases has increased and Welsh Government has always been cautious.
Thoughts with Phil Bell and all involved @Chepstow_Racing at the disappointment of no spectators for The Welsh Grand National.They put so much effort in and it’s been fantastic every meeting since it’s return post Covid earlier this https://t.co/sjqkRT72z8 Wishes for 2022.
— Neil Richard Davies (@neiltonpentre) December 21, 2021
“We now want to work with the Welsh Government on this and we are keen to discuss a compensation package with them.
“They have implied we will clearly be involved with that. I have seen the figure of £3m to be allocated and we know how much of that we need.”
Ffos Las, which is also owned by Chepstow’s parent company, Arena Racing, has a scheduled race meeting for January 5.
That fixture is also likely to be held without spectators, as is the following Chepstow meeting for January 7.
After that, the hope is that an improving situation in terms of the spread of the virus could see some adjustments made to the restrictions that might allow race-goers to return to certain parts of the course.
Bell added: “On a wider level, we want to encourage Welsh Government that we are a safe venue and that when they feel restrictions can be in any way reduced, we can accommodate crowds.
“We are one of the safest sports venues around because we are outdoors. In the short-term, we would be happy to allow people to be outdoors only.”
The ripple effects from the closure of the courses to spectators will be felt more widely than just on-course staff.
With news of another Welsh National set to be run behind closed doors please to a minute to read about how on course bookmakers are affected in Wales
@brucemillington @CorneliusRacing @JoStevensLabour @carolynharris24
https://t.co/Woxq3OFd03— James Lovell (@JamesJohnLovell) December 21, 2021
Caterers, hospitality providers, transport workers and bookmakers will also be left counting the cost of the absence of race-goers.
On-course bookie and chairman of the Welsh Bookmakers Association James Lovell said: “This should have been a very busy time of the year and it’s much more than just a race day. It’s a Christmas tradition for so many people.
“It’s heart-breaking for so many reasons and people will suffer with no recompense. it’s unfair that a highly regulated, tax-paying industry will be left on the shelf.
“We had a letter during the last lockdown which stated that bookmakers were excluded from any compensation funding because we have somehow been classed along with political groups, pornography, and the offering of sexual services.
“But we are a licensed and regulated industry, so it feels like a kick in the teeth.”