French racing resumption

The French Government has expressed its support of a phased-in resumption of the racing programme in France from Monday, May 11, and has announced financial aid for the racing sector largely through a temporary cut in betting tax. Last Tuesday, the French Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume and his ministerial colleague Gérald Darmanin met Edouard de Rothschild and Jean-Pierre Barjon, the respective heads of France Galop and trotting authority LeTrot, to discuss plans to allow the return of racing action in the week following the easing of lockdown restrictions for France....

French racing officials remain hopeful that racing in that country could resume behind closed doors on May 11 after a meeting with government officials on Tuesday that France Galop Chief Executive Officer Olivier Delloye described as "positive." Among those in attendance at the meeting with the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Agriculture were France Galop President Edouard de Rothschild; Bertrand Meheut and Cyril Linette, chairman and director general, respectively, of the PMU and Jean-Pierre Barjon, President of LeTROT, the governing body of trot racing. "It was a positive...