News24
01 Jun 2020, 19:42 GMT+10
Horse racing returned after more than two months in England on Monday, but was beaten to the chase by pigeon racing as the first sport to restart following the easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
Sport has been shut down since March but the British government on Saturday approved the return of domestic competitive action behind closed doors from 1 June.
Premier League football is scheduled to resume on 17 June, while cricket chiefs still hope to stage a full international programme during the English summer.
Racing has a head start for fans starved of live sport, but looks very different to when it departed before lockdown.
At Newcastle there were no spectators to watch the 10 flat races while trainers, jockeys and grooms wore masks.
Zodiakos won the first race on English soil for 76 days as the 22-1 shot edged out stablemate Al Ozzdi on the line.
"That has blown away the cobwebs," Zodiakos's jockey Jimmy Sullivan told Sky Sports.
"In this heat today, riding in the mask, it is very warm and after pulling up I pulled it down a little just to get a few breaths in.
"It wasn't too bad, though, it's manageable and it's the sort of thing that in a week you won't even notice it."
The 2,000 Guineas, on 6 June at Newmarket, will be the first of the flat-racing season's "Classic" races.
Earlier in the day, pigeon racing enjoyed a brief moment in the spotlight.
More than 4,000 birds belonging to members of the Barnsley Federation of Racing Pigeons in the north of England were released from a park ahead of a 90-mile sprint.
Organiser John Greenshield said he was expecting his 35 pigeons in the race to start arriving back around one hour and 50 minutes after they were released.
Retired miner Greenshield, 72, said the restart came earlier than many expected and so many of the birds are far from "match fit".
But he said the return of racing will be a blessing for many in his community and was "like putting oxygen back into the area".
"The racing is something for people to get out of bed for," he said. "People are really looking forward to it."
Snooker will also make a return on Monday as reigning world champion Judd Trump stars in the opening match of the Championship League.
The televised tournament, taking place in the English city of Milton Keynes, is the first snooker event since the Gibraltar Open in March.
Trump described in a tweet how he had been tested for coronavirus before the event: "Arrived in Milton Keynes test done hopefully all clear for action tomorrow... swab up the nose is not enjoyable at all. enjoy that everyone."
Trump faces David Grace and Stuart Carrington tackles Jak Jones in the opening matches.
Five-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan's first match will be against Kishan Hirani on Friday while Mark Selby, who has three world titles, opens up against Lee Walker on Thursday.
"It will be myself, my opponent and the referee," Selby told Sky Sports. "I'm due to play Thursday. I'll go down Wednesday and get tested.
"Then straight to the hotel and lock myself in my room and wait for the results to come back."
Get a daily dose of Liverpool Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Liverpool Star.
More InformationBUENOS AIRES, Argentina: The Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge GarcĂa Cuerva, used a major religious event over the weekend to criticize...
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico: In a first-of-its-kind judicial election in Mexico, more than 5,000 candidates are vying for over 840 federal...
ZERMATT, Switzerland: Five skiers were found dead on a mountain in Switzerland near the popular ski resort of Zermatt, officials said...
TORONTO, Canada - Tens of thousands of people from across Canada have marched in support of Israel in a massive turnout in Toronto....
BOSTON, Massachusetts: U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has taken away Harvard University's right to enroll international...
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he believed God was behind his election loss in 2020, even though he has...
BOSTON, Massachusetts: U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has taken away Harvard University's right to enroll international...
MINNETONKA, Minnesota: UnitedHealth shares took a sharp hit this week, after a report by the UK's Guardian alleged the healthcare giant...
Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate have denied any wrongdoing British prosecutors have approved multiple charges against...
London has teamed up with Nordic NATO member states in what Russia views as a dangerous militarization of the region The British...
DUBAI, 28th May, 2025 (WAM) -- Dubai's scale of evolution, transformation and dynamism is contagious, said renowned British broadcaster...
London [UK], May 28 (ANI): A combined Great Britain (GB) cricket team, featuring men's and women's players from England, Scotland,...