The outbreak of COVID-19 has had a huge impact on professional sports and businesses throughout the world. The majority of sporting events have either been cancelled or postponed since March but we have seen the resumption of some sports from May onwards. One of the most popular sports on the planet is horse racing and it has been great to see the horses back on tracks across the globe.

However, horse racing is still not the same as it was prior to the coronavirus pandemic. The major difference being the absence of people inside the racetrack. This is not only horse racing fans but other people whose livelihoods rest on the future of horse racing, such as on-course bookmakers and hospitality companies. With that in mind, when can we expect horse racing to return to normal?

It is difficult to put an exact timeline on when horse racing will return to normal. For that to happen, we will need to have the punters back in the stands. It is great to see horse racing back live on television and via live streaming at online bookmakers but nothing can replace the roar of the crowd as the horses head towards the finish line. Nonetheless, considering the damage COVID-19 has done, we are lucky to have horse racing back in our lives.

There are several leading online sports betting apps that are perfect for horse racing betting. The Boyle Sports betting app is a great example and when using this app not only can you enjoy betting on horse racing but also watch all of the action live. Boyle Sports guarantee the best odds on all UK and Irish horse racing plus they pay 1/5 odds 4 places on selected meetings each day. Add the fact you can claim a free bet bundle when joining Boyle Sports using the app and you have the perfect horse racing betting experience.

Of course, the ideal scenario would be to place your bets and then watch the action unfold in front of you at the racetrack. Managing director of track owner Arena Racing Company’s racing division, Mark Spincer, said, “”It all depends on the government but I’d love to think that for the last Classic of the year we may be able to have a number of people on site”. Spincer continued, “I can’t see it much before September, it’s a behind-closed-doors fixture list in June, July and August and I’d be quite surprised if that gets changed”.

Spincer was speaking in June and come September, even if we only see a limited number of people being allowed inside racetracks, it would be a great start. The process to get tracks back to full capacity is sure to take a few months but having some spectators inside horse racing venues would be a huge boost. It will be interesting to see how things develop over the autumn and into winter but fingers crossed horse racing will be returning to normal sooner rather than later.