There were no celebratory hugs and trainers and jockeys wore masks as French racing resumed under the shadow of coronavirus at the fabled Longchamp racecourse on Monday.
While France's Ligue 1 football and Top 14 rugby leagues have been cancelled until September, racing benefitted from being quixotically labelled an agricultural pursuit.
It restarted only after reported last minute lobbying persuaded President Emmanuel Macron to give it the go-ahead.
However, strict rules were laid down including being held behind closed doors, a far cry from the near 50,000 crowd that greeted Waldgeist, the winner of Europe's most prestigious race the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, last October.
Longchamp put on a 10-race card with several Group races whilst there were also meetings at Toulouse, Compiegne and a trotting fixture as well.
