Bubba Amond

Travelling head lad, Commonstown Stables

JESSICA Harrington’s travelling head lad Bubba Amond says the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board should be commended for the way it has managed Covid-19 protocols at the races since action resumed.

Amond, a regular fixture at racecourses around the country, is well placed to compare the difference between racing pre-protocols and now. “The typical day hasn’t really changed at all, the only difference is there is no crowd. The most important thing is getting your health questionnaire sorted out the night before you go racing. It’s easy to do, no tricky questions or anything.

“On the day, it’s so straightforward. We pull up the lorry, go to the health screening area and it’s a 30-second job really. You produce your stable pass, you produce the barcode that they sent you and they scan both, check your temperature and you are good to go.

“They’ve made it so easy and the IHRB should be commended for the system they’ve put in place.”

With no crowds present, Amond says that, if anything, it has become easier to work at the races and he doesn’t have to allow any extra time for anything. There are no food facilities at the racecourse yet but he says that stable staff knew this was the case from the start and that most racecourses provide plenty of water.

For Amond, it’s been an easier job lately because he is regularly bringing winners back to Harrington’s base in Moone. He is also part-owner of the two stablestaff-owned fillies, the first of which ran at Gowran Park on Wednesday evening.

He said: “Malaysian ran okay on Wednesday, she probably just got a bit tired on the heavy ground. Summer Ambition is the name of the other filly. There are about seven or eight of us in both of the fillies and it’s created a good bit of buzz around the yard, a bit of banter.

“In general, it’s easier to do this job when you’re having winners and we’ve had plenty, so it’s great.”

Ronan Groome