Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs will further delay the reopening of its stable areas at both the racetrack and the auxiliary training center Trackside until Apr. 28. The opening of the 2020 Spring Meet, originally scheduled for Apr. 25, has been postponed with the determination of the exact starting date to be made closer to the opening of the stable areas. Churchill Downs' stabling areas, closed since Dec. 31 for annual winter renovations, had been expected to open Mar.17, but the opening was delayed in response to executive orders issued by Kentucky Governor...
When asked at his Friday press briefing whether or not he will give tracks in his state permission any time soon to hold races without fans in the stands, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear made it clear that he will require the tracks to stay closed for the foreseeable future. "At least as long as you are seeing an escalation (of the coronavirus), you would still have to have groups of people that would have to come together to make that happen," he said. "It would be the same as the...
Thursday was supposed to be opening day at Keeneland's spring meet, which has been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, officials who oversee the association's racecourse and sales company spent their afternoon on a video conference call with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC)'s race dates advisory committee explaining how Keeneland will face a situation that is markedly different from the state's other four Thoroughbred tracks when emergency public health mandates are relaxed enough to allow live racing to resume. Bob Elliston, Keeneland's vice president of racing and sales,...
The late Triple Crown nomination deadline, which was scheduled for Monday, will be extended to an as-yet undetermined later date under an extension agreed upon by racing officials at Churchill Downs Racetrack, the Maryland Jockey Club and the New York Racing Association. While the date of the GI Kentucky Derby has already been pushed back to Sept. 5, officials are still considering possible alternate dates for the GI Preakness S. and GI Belmont S. When all three Triple Crown dates appear to be firm, a late Triple Crown nomination closing...
Churchill Downs announced the closure of Turfway Park Wednesday due to the coronavirus pandemic, citing the "Healthy at Home" Executive Order 2020-257 issued by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. With the Turfway racing season scheduled to run through Saturday, March 28, the remainder of the meet has been cancelled. Turfway Park's backside will remain open for training because it falls under the "life-sustaining business" category as it provides "food, shelter, and other necessities of life for animals."
Churchill Downs Inc. will delay the reopening of its stable areas at both Churchill Downs Racetrack and the auxiliary training center Trackside until Tuesday, April 14. The decision was made after ongoing consultation with public health officials amid public health concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Churchill Downs' stable areas have been closed since Dec. 31 for annual winter renovations and were originally scheduled to reopen Tuesday, March 17. "Together, we are in the midst of an unprecedented global health crisis and every tough decision we make is made with the...
While Dan makes some good points regarding the many differences between running a race for 3-year-olds on the first Saturday in May compared to the first Saturday in September Derby ("A Year Without a Derby Makes the Most Sense"), I disagree with him about removing the name of the race. Perhaps history books will place an asterisk behind the 2020 winner, but there are too many players involved in this game, owners, breeders, trainers, jockeys, grooms, etc. who work tirelessly each year to produce a Kentucky Derby winner. For most...
The Kentucky Derby Museum is now offering virtual tours that are designed to let fans experience "Derby Day Everday." Through the tour, guests can view collections, exhibits and go on personal virtual tours of iconic Churchill Downs with a museum tour guide. The online museum is updated daily and each day curatorial experts bring visitors featured artifacts, fun facts, oral history videos, educational lessons, and activities they can do at home. "Traditions provide an anchor for us in a constantly moving world," says Chris Goodlett, Director of Curatorial Education for...
I participate in a group called "Thoroughbred Horse Racing Discussion" on Facebook and I conduct polls with a large sampling rate. On Mar. 20, I put up a poll responded to by 176 people--a statistically significant pool of people very interested in the horse racing industry. Of these, 113 supported the current plan to have the Kentucky Derby Sept. 5. Only 40 supported having the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May, but without a live audience, as the Louisiana Derby was run last Saturday. Two people said the...
Oaklawn has announced that it is moving its signature race--the GI Arkansas Derby--from Saturday, Apr. 11 to Saturday, May 2, closing day of the 2020 live meet. Due to the closing of the casino and racetrack to the public, Oaklawn could have raced with purses intact through Apr. 18, but, upon discussions with the HBPA, decided instead to reduce purses across the board and "stay until May." As a result, the Arkansas Derby purse will be reduced to $750,000. "Churchill Downs understands the circumstances created by the current health crisis,...
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) unanimously voted at a special meeting Thursday to allow Churchill Downs to shift five "optional" Wednesday race dates from its spring meet to Sept. 1-5 to accommodate the track's coronavirus-related rescheduling of the entire Tuesday-through-Saturday GI Kentucky Derby race week. The KHRC's approval came after two other Kentucky tracks that have already been granted traditional race dates during that September time block indicated they would be amenable to working out a compromise for the betterment of the entire circuit. That means Ellis Park will...
Perhaps this will neatly fall in line, with the GI Preakness S. being run two weeks after the GI Kentucky Derby and the GI Belmont S. three weeks after that. That would mean a Sept. 5 Derby, a Sept. 19 Preakness and an Oct. 10 Belmont. Four weeks later, Keeneland would host the Breeders' Cup. That may be the best thing when it comes to restoring some order to a Triple Crown that has been turned upside down by the coronavirus, but it doesn't come without its own set of...