Let me know when it's coming, Madman. That way I can make sure I go out with a bang before I get it

How can it be? ^ they will not stop public transport so there is no need to cancel racing.

are the French cancelling professional football??doubt it

Latest from RP website:

https://www.racingpost.com/news/latest/coronavirus-and-racing-will-the-cheltenham-festival-be-affected/425227

Coronavirus and racing: will the Cheltenham Festival be affected?
You will have heard of coronavirus by now – or more specifically the Covid-19 variety of the virus that started in the Wuhan region of China and is spreading rapidly around the world.

As of 9am on Saturday 82,240 cases had been reported globally with 59 countries affected — resulting in 2,924 deaths worldwide.

The international nature of this potentially fatal virus means authorities worldwide are reacting rapidly and sporting events have been some of the first to be affected.

So could it affect racing in Britain?

In short, yes it could. In Italy, the worst-affected country in Europe with 821 cases, Serie A football matches are being played behind closed doors this weekend, while Italy's Six Nations rugby clash with Ireland in Dublin was postponed ten days in advance and there are question marks over the clash with England in Rome the day after the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Formula One's Chinese Grand Prix, on April 19, has already been cancelled and Paddy Power on Friday made this summer's Olympics in Tokyo, Japan (July 24 to August 9) a 4-6 shot to be cancelled.

We are not there yet, but if the number of cases in Britain spikes from the current 20 then racing could well be hit. If things stay as they are, then everything would carry on as normal.

Could it impact Cheltenham — and could the festival be cancelled?

Well, the Betfair market – on which £545,198 has been matched so far – suggests the first day of the festival is 1.57 (4-7) to go ahead and 2.72 (13-8) to be off.

Now it does not specify this has to be due to coronavirus, so anything from snow or frost to high winds, waterlogging or acts of God like another equine flu outbreak are runners in the market, but it does give you a strong indication of how serious the threat is given 'no' traded as high as 4.4 shortly after the market opened on Tuesday evening.

Cheltenham officials have given every indication they expect the festival to go ahead as planned and the BHA on Friday said it saw no reason to "develop a policy regarding abandonment of any specific fixtures due to coronavirus at this time", but the decision will ultimately lie with the government.

Furthermore, while shutting down a sporting event is less effective as a prevention method than closing major airports and transport systems such as the London Underground, it is also vastly less disruptive to the general public and so often deemed the starting point.

The festival, with more than 260,000 visitors from all over the globe in just four days, would be a vastly greater concern in that sense than a midweek evening fixture at Kempton, and if the number of cases in Britain starts to rise and politicians become involved, then all bets are off.

Could the festival be held behind closed doors, or elsewhere?

In Japan (226 cases) and Hong Kong (93) spectators have been banned from racecourses as countries with a rising number of contaminated individuals look to minimise the potential for spreading the virus while keeping the show on the road, while the Swiss government have banned gatherings of more than a 1,000 people in a country with just 15 cases to date.

Running the festival behind closed doors instead of cancelling the meeting would be preferable for racing fans, the sport's participants and bookmakers alike, and for the sport too in terms of Levy-generation, but the balance sheets of Jockey Club Racecourses would take a hammering unless their insurance covers the commercial loss of the meeting technically going ahead, albeit behind closed doors. The course will not comment on the details of their insurance arrangements.

The problem with relocating is if a gathering of 260,000 in Cheltenham is problematic, the same is likely to apply were it moved to Ascot, Ayr, Doncaster, Haydock, Newbury or Sandown.

What happens if it's postponed?

Foot and mouth caused the 2001 Cheltenham Festival to be cancelled. The initial contingency plan was for a delayed festival to take place in April, with the then three-day event pencilled in for April 17-19. When that too had to be abandoned the governing body at the time, the British Horseracing Board (BHB), looked into trying to salvage the championship races at other venues – with attempts made to add the four championship races and Arkle to Sandown's season-ending meeting, but those plans failed.

The congested nature of the spring calendar, with major festivals at Aintree (April 2-4), Fairyhouse (April 11-13), Ayr (April 17-18), Sandown (April 25) and Punchestown (April 28-May 2), means even if the coronavirus epidemic is abated, finding a slot for the festival would not be straightforward.

But with Cheltenham already scheduled to race on April 15 and 16 (a Wednesday and a Thursday) adding a Tuesday to that fixture, as they did in 2001, would look the most obvious solution.

How much would it cost the industry?

In 2001 when the festival was a three-day event, the loss of Cheltenham was estimated to have cost the betting industry alone £100 million, while local tourism reportedly suffered an estimated £10 million hit. The course itself will not comment on the financial impact suffered.

These days the festival is an altogether bigger beast and those numbers can be inflated. Bookmakers do roughly £450-£500 million in turnover which, with an even run of results, returns around £50 million in profit and with the levy at ten per cent that is roughly a £5 million hit for the sport as a whole if those four days are lost.

And it is not just those four days. The reason bookmaker offers are so enticing around Cheltenham is because it is a major account recruiting event. While the Grand National may open more accounts, they are generally one-off bettors, the industry has learned Cheltenham activates accounts that continue to bet throughout the year and thus further chipping in to the sport's levy return.

SUSPENDING M****y moley!

The chances of it being cancelled have risen from 28% to 42%..... Odds have been further shortened on the Festival not going ahead. The market ‘Will racing go ahead?’ has seen a hive of activity since it went live, with over £283,000 already matched.

‘No’ is now 11/8, which is an implied probability of 41.7%. This is a 14% rise since yesterday and is a vast cause for concern for racing fans over the world.
On the flip side, 'yes' for the Festival to go ahead has drifted out to just 8/13.

England’s Chief Medical officer has warned drastic measures may have to be taken if a pandemic hits the UK. This would include suspending mass gatherings.

156k were you getting 250k from ?

There is only one way this is going at the moment .... Takes 14 days quarentine...thats up to 14 days it can be incubating without people knowing they have it .... Back NO CHELTENHAM on here, today, lay it off tomorrow, might help pay for cancelled hotel and flights

Will they be closing the London underground as well???

Good. Start with the Airports, train stations, the underground and the ferry ports. See how we go from there.

I watched the health secretary on the Andrew marr show this morning obviously he couldn’t give to much away before tomorrow’s cobra meeting but he did indicate nobody wants to spoil any social events at this stage.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51693195

"Nothing ruled out"... including "banning big events".

I think it does Geoff I thought we would know tomorrow yes or no now I think it will depend on the next 6 or 7 days.

It would reduce the risk if flights in and out of Italy, China and Middle East until passengers have been cleared the other end like what they are doing in Tenerife.

If it would then reduce the risk to the UK. It’s simple.  All cases have been imported except one.

Forty

Are any bookies betting on this? I can only find the BF market.

Just to add a bit of perspective here. As of yesterday I think, Italy had 1,100 case and 29 deaths. Yesterday in Italy Lazio and Napoli both had home games watched by crowds of 45,000 in Rome and 23,000 in Naples. France has 100 cases and 47,000 watched PSG play on Saturday, all other big games had spectators. Both those countries are ahead of us with regards to known cases but haven't banned or stopped people at these events. Given our Govt noises about taking into account the social and ECONOMIC ramifications of cancelling big events you'd think it would have to get MUCH worse in the next 8 days for a cancellation to be ordered. The Festival is an 'outdoors' event too which helps.

A sensible post fingers crossed

just run it behind closed doors

Think Jockey Club Racecourses have already said that is a non starter financially Harry although I would have thought bookmakers might well be willing to make some sort of contribution as running at all makes them a fortune most likely.  My issue with closed doors is it would spread the virus more quickly. Everyone who would have attended one location in the open air all spread out in pubs, clubs and bookies the length and breadth of Britain and Ireland, surely that's lunacy ?

Can't possibly go ahead in the current climate.

Betfair - can we have a 'Day of Cheltenham Postponement' market please?

Wet and sneezy.