Optimism at Chester and Goodwood that crowds will be allowed to return in spring

Racing fans battling with a grim winter lockdown have been given hope of a brighter spring after Goodwood said it was confident crowds would be allowed at all its meetings in 2021 and Chester revealed that, following successful trials, it is in a position to offer mass testing to allow spectators to attend its May meeting.

Racing in Britain has taken place almost exclusively behind closed doors since the sport resumed after shutdown last June. A brief window with meetings featuring limited attendance was slammed shut early last month when a renewed spike of the pandemic hit.

Racing in Britain has been almost exclusively behind closed doors since the sport resumedCredit: Edward Whitaker

Football and other elite sports have been similarly affected but reports suggest Uefa chiefs are pushing ahead with plans to hold the climax of the delayed Euro 2020 at Wembley this summer, with aspirations for a crowd of at least 30,000, after being reassured by the scale of the UK’s Covid-19 vaccination programme.