First Four British Classics to be rescheduled

The Jockey Club have announced today that the QIPCO Guineas Festival at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile and The Investec Derby Festival at Epsom Downs Racecourse will not be staged 2nd/3rd May and 5th/6th June respectively, due to the ongoing public health emergency.

Work is ongoing among multiple stakeholders to find alternative dates in the calendar, given the utmost importance of the Classics for that generation of horses.

Ruth Quinn – the British Horseracing Authority’s Director of International Racing and Racing Development said of the decision, “As a sport we have a responsibility to safeguard the staging of our Classics, and to position them within a sensible, balanced schedule of complementary events wherever possible.

“We are developing plans to help ensure that a suitable race programme, for the long-term health of the sport, can be delivered in these challenging times. Naturally one of the key priorities is the staging of the generation-defining races.”

The unbeaten Godolphin-owned Pinatubo, trained in Newmarket by Charlie Appleby, had been a long-time favourite for both the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby.

Pinatubo raced wide in the Dewhurst and the brilliant juvenile needs upgrading for that, says @jrmillman.

How would you rate Saturday's performance out of 10? #TheVerdict pic.twitter.com/hvrEh8eZmo

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) October 14, 2019