Talking Horses: would punters be willing to wear masks at the races?

Pinatubo was back in the winner’s enclosure for the first time since his dominant two-year-old campaign in Sunday’s Prix Jean Prat at Deauville and his return to winning form also coincided with the return of paying spectators to French racecourses following a government decision on Saturday to allow total attendance of up to 5,000 people at sports stadia.

As a result, television viewers gained a sense of what racing will look like when lockdown restrictions in Britain begin to ease sufficiently to get at least some paying spectators back on track. The experience of watching racing behind closed doors does not jar nearly so much as football without the noise and colour of packed stands as a backdrop, but it was still quite thrilling – for this viewer, at least – to see people lining the Deauville running rail in the final two furlongs of the big race, and then applauding Pinatubo and William Buick as they returned to unsaddle.

Related: Talking Horses: Aidan and Donnacha O’Brien banned for Covid-19 breach

And every last one of them was wearing a facial covering – nobody was allowed past the front gate without one – which is something that the British public have struggled to embrace as a matter of habit even at the height of the lockdown in April and May. But there will be a much great incentive to do so from Friday week, when wearing a face covering will be mandatory in all shops in Britain.

This could yet prove to be the final piece in the puzzle when it comes to getting at least a few thousand people back to British racecourses (and other professional sport too, for that matter).

This thought might seem a little odd when a measure is being introduced for enclosed spaces and a racecourse is a wide-open, unenclosed space, but people who comply with one rule are more likely to comply with others, like hand-washing, social distancing and so on.

If compliance is widespread, as it is on public transport where, if my experience last week is any guide, pretty much everyone now covers their face, the government may feel more confident about letting crowds back into sports stadia. Racecourses, where there is much less sitting or standing for half-an-hour or more in one place than is the case for other major spectator sports could be an obvious place to start.

Whether that could be in time for either Goodwood later this month or York’s Ebor Festival on 19 to 22 August remains to be seen. But as and when it happens, as is the case in France, do not expect to make it past the front door if you don’t have your mask.

Greg Wood’s Tuesday tips

Prompting (5.50) made a very promising start to 2020 on the all-weather circuit before the suspension of racing in mid-March and he is an interesting proposition at around 100-30 when he returns to action at Ayr this evening having switched stables from Olly Murphy to David O’Meara.

The half-brother to dual Group One winner One Master did nothing wrong for Murphy, winning over seven furlongs at Wolverhampton in January before going close in two handicaps at a mile in February. He has several strong performances on the clock going into today’s turf debut, and there is definite scope for further improvement dropping back to the seven-furlong trip over which his half-brother has landed two Group Ones.

Bath 12.00 Spurofthemoment 12.30 Bright Armor 1.05 Gherkin 1.35 Mia Mento 2.05 Rideson 2.35 Duchess Of Avon 3.10 Willy Nilly (nb) 3.40 Tenfold 4.10 Camouflaged

Southwell 12.15 Thibault 12.45 Hidden Glen 1.20 Knockrobin 1.50 Go Hard Or Go Home 2.20 Medalla De Oro 2.55 Goodbye Dancer 3.25 Makety 4.00 Emily Webb 4.30 Twpsyn 5.05 Galardo

Ripon 4.25 Miss Milby 5.00 Alba Del Sole 5.30 Ataser 6.05 Harry’s Ridge 6.35 Susie Javea 7.05 Volcano Bay 7.40 Optima Petamus 8.15 Sudona 8.45 Marie’s Gem

Ayr 4.40 Zaisan 5.15 My Boy Lewis 5.50 Prompting (nap) 6.20 Stars In The Night 6.50 Abate 7.25 Glen Force 8.00 Bavardages 8.30 Alexanderthegreat

Willy Nilly (3.10) attracted plenty of support before his return to action at Leicester last month but was a little bit free on the way to finishing a five-length sixth of 11. There was clearly some confidence that an opening mark of 60 might under-estimate him, though, and having been dropped 1lb since, he should go well in what looks a weaker race at Bath this afternoon.

Mia Mento (1.35) looks a fair price at around 100-30 on the same card, while Harry’s Ridge (6.05) and Sudona (8.15) stand out at Ripon this evening. Goodbye Dancer (2.55) makes most appeal over the jumps at Southwell.