There will be no racing on Saturday but the final Classic of the season, the Cazoo St Leger due to take place in Doncaster, will be the centerpiece of a nine-race card at the Yorkshire course on Sunday.
To mark what the British Horseracing Authority described as the ‘special bond’ between the sport and the late Queen, all meetings were canceled on Friday and the card in Doncaster, Chester, Lingfield, Chelmsford, Musselburgh and Ffos Las will not have not take place on Saturday. .
According to the new official government guidance, sports have been told ‘there is no obligation to cancel or postpone sporting events and fixtures, or to close entertainment venues during the period of national mourning’ .
A full sporting wipeout is however suggested for the day of the funeral. “As a sign of respect, organizations may consider canceling or postponing events or closing locations on the day of the state funeral,” the guidelines added. “They are under no obligation to do so and it is entirely at the discretion of the individual organisations. If there are games or sporting events scheduled on the day of the state funeral, organizations may wish to adjust event times so that they do not conflict with the timings of funerals and associated processions.
However, encounters taking place in the meantime were advised to pay proper respects. The Premier League postponement included Monday night’s game. Top level chief executive Richard Masters said: “We and our clubs would like to pay tribute to Her Majesty’s long and unwavering service to our country. As our longest serving monarch, she was an inspiration and leaves an incredible legacy after a life of dedication. It is an extremely sad time not only for the nation but also for the millions of people around the world who looked up to him, and we join everyone in mourning his passing.
In tennis, next week’s Davis Cup Final tennis tournament in Glasgow will take place, the Lawn Tennis Association has confirmed.
Race off until Sunday; canceled boxing
There will be no racing on Saturday but the final Classic of the season, the Cazoo St Leger which was due to take place in Doncaster, will be the centerpiece of a nine-race card at the Yorkshire course on Sunday.
To mark what the British Horseracing Authority has described as the ‘special bond’ between sport and the Queenall fixtures have been canceled for Friday and the card in Doncaster, Chester, Lingfield, Chelmsford, Musselburgh and Ffos Las will not take place on Saturday.
The meeting scheduled for Sunday in Chepstow will take place with a bumper card in Doncaster which will also include the Doncaster Cup, but the meeting in Musselburgh has been canceled as the Queen’s body will rest in state in Edinburgh.
All racecourses racing from Sunday and through the mourning period will continue to mark the Queen’s passing with tributes on the course. Flags will be lowered, jockeys will wear black armbands and a period of silence will be observed before the first race of each meeting.
In boxing, all fights scheduled for Friday are canceled and Saturday’s world middleweight title fight between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall has also been postponed.
Grieving tips
According to the new official government guidance, sports have been told ‘there is no obligation to cancel or postpone sporting events and fixtures, or to close entertainment venues during the period of national mourning’ .
A full sporting wipeout is however suggested for the day of the funeral.
“As a sign of respect, organizations may consider canceling or postponing events or closing venues on the day of the state funeral,” the guide adds. “They are not obligated to do so and it is entirely at the discretion of the individual organisations. If any games or sporting events are scheduled on the day of the state funeral, organizations may wish to adjust the timings of the events so that they do not not conflict with the timings of the funeral and associated processions.”
Matches that take place in between are, however, advised to follow the appropriate rules.
“As a mark of respect and in keeping with the tone of national mourning, organizers may wish to observe a period of silence and/or play the national anthem at the start of events or sporting fixtures, and players may wish to wear black armbands.” , adds the guide.
Golfers canceled mid-round
In cricket, the Duchy of Cornwall owns the Kia Oval, and the England and Wales Cricket Board immediately called a board meeting on Thursday to delay England’s third Test.
A four-day Test is now set to begin on Saturday, with England due to fly to Pakistan on Wednesday for the Twenty20 series starting in Karachi.
Golf’s European Tour Group, meanwhile, immediately halted play at the BMW PGA Championship and then canceled Friday’s action.
Despite the cancellations over the weekend, some English football teams were involved in European fixtures on Thursday evening. Manchester United say they have been instructed by both the FA and UEFA to move forward with their Europa League game against Real Sociedad. Arsenal played for FC Zurich when the Queen’s death was announced. A minute of silence took place just before the start of the second half.
The sport overseas is certain to go ahead as planned. Sources within Formula 1 say the Monza Grand Prix is not expected to be delayed. However, there will be commemorations and an inevitably gloomy mood.
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