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The Canterbury Jockey Club has announced that due to the ongoing uncertainty around COVID-19 restrictions and the rules for operating under COVID-19 Alert Level 2, the difficult decision to restrict attendance to 2000 people a day for the New Zealand Cup Meetings has been made.
Alert Level 2 restrictions currently apply to the Canterbury region and are likely to remain in place at the time the New Zealand Cup Meeting is held at Riccarton in early November, encompassing Saturday 6th, Wednesday 10th and Saturday 13th.
The Club will have areas available in compliance with the COVID-19 Alert Level 2 measures for owners of horses competing at the meeting, members of the Canterbury Jockey Club, and event sponsors.
Should demand for attendance not be exhausted by these key stakeholders, limited seated tickets may be available for sale via the Riccarton Park website.
"We know this news is disappointing and will result in a very different New Zealand Cup Meeting to what we normally enjoy, however we are committed to complying by the current restrictions imposed to ensure the health and safety of all our valued stakeholders while allowing us to continue to hold this important calendar of events, albeit in a limited capacity," a statement from the Club read.
"Our planning will enable attendance of 2000 people on each of the three days and is a significant reduction from the sell-out crowd of 15,000 people at last year's New Zealand Cup Day."
Priority attendance provisions will be in place for owners with horses in the feature races, with the Club to make direct contact with owners regarding their options when the fields are drawn.
Members will be contacted directly via email and will be required to pre-register their interest in attending The Canterbury Jockey Club New Zealand Cup Meetings by Friday 22 October 2021.
The following measures will be in place for all registered attendees of the Canterbury Jockey Club New Zealand Cup Meetings in line with New Zealand Government guidelines and New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) COVID-19 Emergency Regulations:
• All attendees must be pre-registered.
• There will be no gates sales on the day.
• The Official QR Code/s must be scanned on arrival or when moving between venues.
• NZTR stakeholders will be contained in their own 'bubble' and will not be able to mix in other areas.
• Attendees / groups are required to stay 1 metre away from each other.
• Seated and served at the table rules apply in all hospitality areas.
• Face covings or masks must be worn by attendees, other than when eating and drinking.