Hollie Doyle unsure if horse racing can sustain no crowds for much longer
Horse racing continuing behind closed doors in areas in tier 4 restrictions including Boxing Day fixture at Kempton; Hollie Doyle finished third in BBC's Sports Personality of the Year after record-breaking 2020
Monday 21 December 2020 23:15, UK
Top jockey Hollie Doyle is concerned for the future of racing if coronavirus restrictions persist well into the New Year and said: "I don't know how much more it can take."
The decision to move large parts of southern and eastern England into Tier 4, amid concerns over a new, potentially more transmissible strain of the virus, raises the prospect of many more months of racecourses in the highest-risk areas operating behind closed doors.
Last month, the British Horseracing Authority said the absence of racegoers was adding the "most significant pressure" on the sport's finances.
Doyle, speaking after coming third at the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year awards, said she was impressed by the resilience her sport has shown to date during the pandemic, but admits extended lockdown restrictions are a real worry.
"There's a huge 'food chain' [around racing] and it's very stretched," she said. "I don't know how much more it can take, but obviously everyone's doing all they can to keep the sport up and running.
"It's going to be hard isn't it? We can continue to race, we've proven we can adapt and keep the show on the road like we did early on while everyone was in lockdown, and keep racing.
"But, obviously the longer we have no crowds and the owners aren't able to go racing, it is going to become increasingly difficult to sustain."
Doyle has enjoyed a stellar 2020 on the track, breaking her own record for the number of wins by a female jockey in a calendar year and securing her first Group One success on Glen Shiel as part of a Champions Day double at Ascot.
Twenty-time champion jockey Sir Anthony McCoy hailed Doyle's "phenomenal" success in 2020 and backed her to become champion jockey herself in the years to come.
Asked about the praise he had offered her, Doyle said: "It means everything, it means the world. I grew up watching AP ride, watched his journey and all his success. So for him to say such kind words about me is unbelievable."
Speaking about her targets for 2021, Doyle added: "I always try to better the year before - although it's going to be hard to do better than I have this year.
"I think I've broken any expectation I had of myself and broken a few barriers as well. I hope I've encouraged people who don't expect to be capable of winning things."
