Coronavirus

There is much to be negative about with British racing but occasionally we should acknowledge and celebrate success. During this terrible year of Covid, racing's rulers should be celebrated for what they have achieved and what has been saved. Our great sport was back behind closed doors and handled the health implications effectively. The stud season took place with mares covered and the business uninterrupted. The icing on the cake must surely be the remarkable resilience of the Tattersalls sales which ran in Newmarket on their original dates. To the...

The New York Racing Association released their COVID-19 health and safety protocols for jockeys during the 2020/21 Aqueduct winter meet, which will open Thursday, Dec. 10 and run through Sunday, Mar. 28. In order to mitigate risk and reduce the spread of COVID-19, Aqueduct will be closed to riders that are not regular members of the NYRA jockey colony as of Dec. 31. To account for NYRA's 10-day holiday break from Dec. 21 through December 30, jockeys interested in being included in the regular NYRA jockey colony must contact NYRA...

Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith has tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him to bypass this weekend's stakes action at Los Alamitos, according to the DRF's Steve Andersen Friday. "I don't have any symptoms," he told DRF. "I'll have to wait a few days and test again. Hopefully, I'll be back up for the following week. I'll watch a little Netflix." Smith, whose positive was determined following a test at Santa Anita Friday, was scheduled to accompany Astute (Speightstown) in Saturday's GI Starlet S. and Proud Emma (Include) in Sunday's...

All-sources handle was down more than $50 million at $462,041,545.76 compared to $516,189,419.44 in 2019 for Woodbine's shortened 2020 Thoroughbred meet, which started late and concluded early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The meet ran 96 days with the start being pushed back from Apr. 18 to June 6 and the end date moved up from Dec. 13 to Nov. 22. The abbreviated meet resulted in 35 less race days and 305 less races. "Like many businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted our business and the entire horse racing industry...

For the "safety and well-being" of those living or working on site at Golden Gate Fields, the facility will continue its temporary suspension of live racing until the scheduled start of the impending winter meet on Dec. 26, according to a Golden Gate Fields press release Thursday. Towards the end of last month, racing was suspended at Golden Gate after more than 200 people living or working on-site had tested positive for the virus. The current fall meet was scheduled to end on Dec. 13. In a separate press release...

The Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series is returning to Gulfstream Park on Saturday, January 23, 2021. Launched in 2017 as part of 1/ST's mission to modernize the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing, the Pegasus World Cup has evolved into a Championship Invitational Series featuring two Grade I stakes races with a combined $4 million in purses. The GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational, run on the dirt at 1 1/8 miles, offers a $3-million total purse. The GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational, run on the turf at 1 3/16...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. has announced that it will continue its longtime support of the annual Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Foundation, which is being conducted virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. NYRA encourages fans to donate at https://www.toysfortots.org/donate/ during the upcoming virtual weekend of giving on Friday, Dec. 4; Cigar Mile Day on Saturday, Dec. 5; and on Sunday, Dec. 6. Members of the Marine Corps Reserve will use the funds to collect and distribute new and unwrapped toys for children and families during...

Del Mar's short fall meet ended this past weekend with a flourish and a blitz of top-class racing that lured quality runners from across the country, as epitomized by Chad Brown's Grade I double courtesy of Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the Hollywood Derby and Viadera (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) in the Matriarch S. The meet rounded out what has been a challenging year for the track, to say the least, thanks to the extraordinary headwinds from a global pandemic, and the already tough economic environment for California horsemen....

Racecourse Association Chief Executive David Armstrong described the return of limited spectators to four English racecourses on Wednesday as a "step in the right direction." Ludlow, Lingfield and Haydock welcomed racegoers on Wednesday afternoon, while Kempton had a small crowd for its evening card. All four tracks are in 'Tier 2' areas of the country as part of the government's new system for identifying coronavirus risk levels, meaning they can allow up to 2,000 fans or 50% capacity, whichever is lowest. Aside from two pilot events in September, Wednesday marked...

CHRB licensed owners with horses entered to race will be permitted to attend the races at the Los Alamitos winter meet, which begins Friday, Dec. 4. Owners will also be permitted to bring up to two adult guests. Owners wishing to attend the races should email or call Elsa Peron, Administrative Assistant of TOC (eperon@toconline.com) to secure access, and reservations can be made up until 24 hours before race day. On race days, owners must show their license when entering Los Alamitos Racecourse and park in the designated area. Owners...

Four tracks will be welcoming in limited spectators in England on Wednesday. Haydock, Kempton, Lingfield and Ludlow-all located in Tier 2 areas--are all set to open their doors to spectators for the first time since March. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the halt of all racing from mid-March and it did not resume-behind closed doors only--until June 1. There have been a pair of small pilot days, with Doncaster and Warwick both hosting some crowds in September, but it was not until the UK government released their new tiered system that...

Applications are now open for the 2021 competition year of the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. Applications will be accepted through Jan. 15, 2021 and accepted trainers will be announced Feb. 15, 2021. As the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover was postponed to 2021 due to the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 edition of the Retired Racehorse Project's banner event will include competition groups both for horses that would have competed in 2020, as well as those entering for 2021. The two groups...