First concrete steps to stabilise industry finances announced by France Galop

France Galop has announced a preliminary series of steps designed to alleviate the financial pressure on various industry actors created by the enforced shutdown for coronavirus.

The governing body's president, Edouard de Rothschild, spelled out practical steps to combat what he described as "an unprecedented economic challenge."

Among the measures unveiled are:

• Cancellation of France Galop charges to trainers in Chantilly, Maisons-Laffitte and Deauville until May 1. Also applies to smaller regional training centres.
• A moratorium on payments for trainers that rent boxes from France Galop.
• Swift reimbursal of entry fees and other contributions for races that have been cancelled.
• Temporary reduction in numbers of France Galop staff to reduce overheads by use of "technical unemployment" instrument. Contracts are maintained during inactivity and employees are paid 70 per cent of their salary until resumption, with the employer able to claim funds back from the state.

Rothschild pledged to sit down with representatives of the trainers' associations at the earliest possible opportunity to discuss direct aid to the most vulnerable sectors of the industry.

The letter directed individual enterprises to consult government websites which spell out state financial assistance available to them.

Work is also underway to redraw the race programme in the event that a partial or full resumption of racing is possible on or shortly after April 16.

The Macron government's wider programme of lockdown - which restricts the public's ability to move outside their own residences - was introduced for an initial period of 15 days from March 17 and officials will soon have to decide if and by how long they intend to extends the order.

There were 78 new deaths from coronavirus in France on Friday, bringing the total to 450 since the start of the crisis, while 5,226 of the 12,612 reported cases are currently hospitalised.

Rothschild wrote: "The coronavirus crisis which has struck the entire world has been as sudden as it has been brutal. It demands that we be perfectly unified in the face of adversity in order to emerge in the best possible state.

"Even though we are living through a period of great uncertainty, I am convinced that the racing sector will once again be able to demonstrate that it is capable of exceptional resilience."

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