It was a unique day for the Horsham District Racing Club on Sunday, as they navigated COVID-19 restrictions at the Horsham Cup.
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Among a myriad of requirements was having separate change rooms for group 1-winning jockey Dean Holland.
Holland raced in Melbourne at Caufield on Saturday, which meant he was required to isolate himself from other jockeys at Horsham.
"We had to have him totally separated," Horsham District Racing Club president Jason Merlo said.
"He was stuck in the tote building with his own toilet and shower. One steward had to look after him.
"It was a bit of a logistic nightmare, but we got there."
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Despite all the planning and red tape, Mr Merlo applauded a fantastic day of racing.
"All the races were really good quality with some really good horses in there," he said.
"We had some great trainers - Lindsey Smith came up from Ballarat, and Mark Webb even came up the highway from Cranbourne to win two races.
"The atmosphere wasn't quite there without the punters in the betting ring or yelling at the horses, but the main thing was, we were running."
Mr Merlo hoped it would be the last time the Horsham Racing Club would have to navigate the testing restrictions.
"We'll see what happens in the next month. See if things relax and if we can get a few patrons on the course," he said. "Everything is up in the air of course. Who knows."
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