Competitive sports resume in England after 75-day shutdown

A mid-morning greyhound race in a virtually empty venue in central Birmingham wouldn’t typically be an occasion warranting special attention.

For English sports fans, it was a moment to savor.

When six dogs flew out of the traps at Perry Barr at 10:21 a.m. on Monday, it marked the return of competitive sports in England after a 75-day shutdown because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The name of the winning horse — Im Sophie — will likely be the answer to a quirky quiz question in years to come.

Greyhound racing was the first of three sports to resume Monday, with horse racing and snooker also taking place without spectators and on the condition that competitors and officials follow government-approved coronavirus protocols.

A 10-race card is scheduled at Gosforth Park’s all-weather track in the northeast city of Newcastle, where 369 entries from competition-starved horse owners were whittled down to 120 runners. Jockeys will be wearing face masks and only limited personnel will be allowed on the course. That means no bookmakers or bettors, with even the owners themselves barred from attending.

Horse racing was the last live sport to shut down in Britain — on March 17.

“It’s time to return and I really feel we can come back in a safe way in a way the public can be proud of,” champion jockey Oisin Murphy said Monday, adding that he and his rivals would physically feel “very close to 100%.”

“But the mental sharpness will only come after a few weeks with some practice.”

Snooker’s Championship League was scheduled to start at 3 p.m. in Milton Keynes, north of London, with top-ranked Judd Trump in action in the first match.

There are 64 players competing in the tournament and they must all test negative for COVID-19 before entering the arena for matches.

Soccer in England is set to resume on June 17 with two Premier League games.