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Curragh Gets Green Light Despite Lockdown in Kildare

Racing can continue in Kildare, with the Aug. 9 card at the Curragh safe.

A horse heads to post at the Curragh

A horse heads to post at the Curragh

Patrick McCann/Racing Post

Racing will go ahead at the Curragh Aug. 9 despite a partial lockdown in County Kildare starting at midnight Friday, which will see movements restricted once again. 

There was widespread panic in the racing industry Friday when the government ruled that no sporting events or matches can take place over the next two weeks in the counties of Kildare, Offaly, and Laois, but professional and elite sports are allowed to continue behind closed doors. 

That means racing can continue in Kildare, with Sunday's card at the Curragh safe. There are three further fixtures at flat headquarters in August, while Naas stages its next meeting Aug. 23. Punchestown is the other Irish racecourse in the county—there are none in Offaly or Laois. 

All the flat fixtures in Kildare are now exempt from the new sporting guidelines. 

There have been 1,661 cases of COVID-19 in Kildare, the second-highest county total after Dublin.

A food factory in Kildare, O'Brien Fine Foods in Timahoe, revealed that they had 80 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and suspended all processing operations Thursday. 

Horse Racing Ireland chief executive Brian Kavanagh has reiterated how good a job Irish racing is doing while operating behind closed doors. 

"Our racecourses are workplaces, and we have very detailed safety procedures in place that have been in operation for over two months now and are working very well," Kavanagh said.