Thousands to converge on Coffs racecourse despite NSW Covid crisis.
The region’s premier race day will press ahead – but some have questioned the logic in allowing 2500 people at an event but not 20 people on a wedding dance floor.
Coffs Harbour
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Despite the precarious Covid situation in NSW it’s full steam ahead for Coffs Harbour’s biggest race day of the year – with thousands ready to converge on the track.
In 2020 the Coffs Harbour Racing Club scrapped the Coffs Cup carnival, with restrictions meaning just a handful of trainers and owners were there to witness proceedings.
Fast forward a year and the situation couldn’t be more different with 2500 tickets to the event selling out well in advance and the much loved Fashions on the Field ready to make a return.
Racing club CEO Tim Saladine put the level of anticipation down to the community being eager to enjoy the iconic event and “get back to the old routine” as they once did pre-pandemic.
It has been a remarkable turnaround for the club which just ten days ago was forced to run the Sawtell Cup behind closed doors after the Covid scare in Coffs Harbour sent shockwaves through the community.
Mr Saladine said it was “fantastic” to see the Cup come together, albeit with a significant number of “stringent” Covid safe regulations including the mandated use of surgical masks only, QR check-ins and the limited capacity.
“We have gone from zero crowd ten days ago to hopefully getting 2500 people here, it's probably one of the more satisfying Coffs Cups to be part of,” he said.
Different year, different rules.
Despite the strict rules imposed on the event, concerns have been raised over how it was allowed to go ahead at all with the pandemic situation arguably worse this year than in 2020.
On August 3 last year NSW Health recorded 13 new Covid cases, whereas on the same date in 2021 it announced 199 cases and the entire Greater Sydney area was in lockdown.
Members of the Animal Justice Party, strident opponents of the racing industry, highlighted apparent inconsistencies within the NSW Government’s health directives and plan to stage a protest on Thursday.
“Just 20 people can dance at a wedding in Coffs, yet 2,500 people can attend an event as cruel and unnecessary as a horse race in a global pandemic,” said leader of the Animal Justice Party Coffs Harbour Tess Hawkins.
“These restrictions are in place to keep our community safe, so why is this cruel industry exempt from following the rules?
“It seems like money matters more than the health and wellbeing of these horses and our entire community.”
In relation to situation in Sydney and the criticism from the AJP, Mr Saladine said the club was fortunate the event was dealt with under the same NSW Health regulations as stadiums would be.
Like the Sharks v Titans NRL match in Coffs Harbour and the Grafton Racing Carnival they could operate at 50 per cent capacity.
“Obviously we are under very strict protocols, racing is one of the only sports in the world that has continued through the pandemic,” he said.
“With the Sydney lockdowns, (the stadiums) lost the football crowds but the protocols lend themselves to events such as ours.
“We have beautiful big open air (area) and we go above and beyond the public health order.”
Still a public holiday
The declaration of Coffs Cup Day as a local public holiday has been a tradition going on since 1971 and Coffs Harbour City Council was asked to explain why it was cancelled in 2020 but not in 2021.
With applications for ‘local public holidays’ taken in two-year blocks, a council spokeswoman said last year’s cancellation came about after the state government informed council it had not processed its August 5 2020 and 2021 application due to the Covid situation.
In addition, the Racing Club approached the council asking they not progress with it, so Council resolved to withdraw the application.
Then in February the NSW Government approved the application for August 5, 2021.
“As the 2021 local public holiday has already been legislated by the NSW Government, Council cannot cancel it,” the spokeswoman said. “This would have to be done by the NSW Government.”
No influx of Sydneysiders
With the city still bristling after a visit from a Covid positive person in July, the thought of major events potentially bringing people from greater Sydney to the regions is not welcomed by everyone.
Some essential racing staff have an exemption to travel out of greater Sydney provided they wear face masks and are tested for Covid no later than 72 hours before entering a race meet.
However, Mr Saladine said the chances of staff coming from Sydney seemed “fairly remote” despite them being allowed to travel.
This meant some of the bigger Sydney stables were sending their horse up to be handled by locals.
In addition, the jockeys will be in their own ‘bubble’ and cannot come into contact with trainers or owners.
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