The Kentucky Derby reversed a previous decision and announced that the race would be run September 5th, but without stands filled with cheering fans, the Associated Press is reporting.
Traditionally the first leg of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby postponed race until September with the hopes that crowds could return to the grandstands by then. Unfortunately, a rising number of coronavirus cases in Kentucky will make that impossible.
“We were confident in that plan, but dedicated to remaining flexible using the best and most reliable information available,” Churchill Downs, the racetrack, said in a statement. “With the current significant increases in COVID-19 cases in Louisville as well as across the region, we needed to again revisit our planning.
The Belmont Stakes, typically the last race run in the Triple Crown, was run in June with no people in the stands. The Preakness, which is usually run second, will now be the final race run on October 3rd in Baltimore.