While race meetings across NSW are still planned to go ahead for now, the landscape looks vastly changed from just a week ago with a new raft of safety measures put in place by Racing NSW.
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Jockeys will now travel no further for meetings than they are allowed to after racing participants were asked to nominate a region of the state to call their home as the COVID-19 outbreak worsens.
Country Championship qualifier winner Mathew Cahill called the changes 'frustrating', but welcomed the increase in safety measures.
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"It is frustrating as a jockey, but we're trying to look after people's health, it's disappointing for people all over, but health is the number one priority at the end of the day," Cahill said.
Cahill, who likely would have featured in the final but now will not be able to, expects measures to constrict movement further as the fight against COVID-19 continues.
"They're probably only going to get tighter, but while everyone's fit and health it's good, so long as everyone abides by these strict controls, it'd be great if we can keep it all going."
It's an expectation that's echoed by the trainer Cahill rode for in his qualifier winning effort with Sneak Preview, Kody Nestor, who admits that it's possible the final might not even take place.
"To be honest, I think we'll be lucky to even still be racing next weekend, things are getting pretty serious," Nestor said.
"If we do go ahead, I've got jockeys in mind to replace Mathew and Greg on Sneak Preview and Fast Talking, so we'll see what happens."
Ryan, who won the Country Championships heat in Mudgee, then scored second with Fast Talking in Coomable will also miss out on the finals, having nominated to stay in the southern region along with Cahill and many other local riders.
If conditions do worsen and further restrictions are put in place, or even a potential shutdown like other industries and sporting events have endured in recent weeks, Cahill and Nestor both see huge impacts for the racing industry's workers.
"Everyone does have to be mindful of what we're doing right now and why, and ti's obviously to protect people and the elderly most of all," Cahill said.
"But we're all in the same boat, if this does shut down, racing's my only income; that's my income gone and the bills aren't going to stop, you'll see a lot of people out of work."
For Nestor, who's stable has grown recently, the idea of a shutdown for longer than a month is a devastating prospect.
"It's a scary thought, it'd have a huge impact, I've got a lot of horses and at that point, I'd have to find space and somewhere for them," Nestor said.
"If this goes on for three or four months, even, then that's a really big hit to everyone, it's not just me, I've got eleven other staff, veterinarians, it'll affect everyone."
While for now, a shutdown isn't in the cards, Nestor says that he expects Racing NSW to follow the federal and state government's direction when it comes to further preventive measures that will be implemented.
"No one really knows what's next or what we're going to have to do, it'll all come down to what the government wants people to do."
If all stays as is, the Country Championships finals are currently expected to take place at Royal Randwick on Saturday, April 4.