Coronavirus

The 2020 edition of The Real Rider Cup--an annual competition designed to showcase off-the-track Thoroughbreds and raise funding FOR the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP), New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program and The Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show--is going virtual this year. The champion will be crowned Oct. 24. This fundraiser invites individuals working in various parts of the racing industry to compete against each other on a Thoroughbred over a show jumping course wearing the silks of one of their sponsors. Each competitor pledges to raise a minimum of $1,000, which goes...

Ryan Moore, who rides first call for Ballydoyle trainer Aidan O'Brien, has entered quarantine in Ireland as of last Saturday and will be riding in Ireland at Irish Champions Weekend on Sept. 12-13. These will be Moore's first rides in Ireland in 2020, as COVID-19 has kept him in the UK earlier in the season. "As people travelling from the UK to Ireland currently have to quarantine on arrival for 14 days, I flew over immediately after racing at Goodwood last Saturday afternoon so that I could ride at the...

Keeneland released COVID-19 procedures for jockeys who will ride during the 17-day Fall Meet, running from Oct. 2-24. Jockey COVID-19 testing protocols: Jockeys who plan to ride opening day (Oct. 2) will be required to be in Lexington Tuesday, Sept. 29 and receive a COVID-19 test at Keeneland. Jockeys who plan to ride at Keeneland after opening day will need to provide a CDC gold standard RT-PCR COVID-19 nasopharyngeal test confirmed negative within 72 hours of the day of their first race. A jockey who races at Keeneland and leaves...

It has been both a good week and a bad week for women in British racing. Hollie Doyle has already featured in this column on several occasions this season but when her achievements make the evening news bulletin on BBC Radio 4, then it's worth revisiting the subject of this fast-rising jockey. When lockdown started, and racecourses in Europe were shuttered for at least two months, it was Doyle's partner Tom Marquand who grabbed the headlines with his Group 1-winning rides in Australia. Marquand is still 10 wins ahead of...

Officials at the New York Racing Association (NYRA) presented a check in the amount of $20,000 to a handful of non-profit organizations, the result of a joint undertaking with the City of Saratoga Springs to raise funds via the sale of limited-edition Saratoga face masks. The campaign was launched in mid-June and reportedly met with a great deal of interest in the public. The funds will be distributed evenly between AIM Services, Inc.; Franklin Community Center; Shelters of Saratoga and the SNACpack Program (Saratoga Nutrition Assistance for Children). A portion...

The broadmindedness of Kelsey Riley's piece on mental health during the age of COVID-19 and within the polarizing aspects of the Thoroughbred industry in Monday's TDN was refreshingly progressive. Both she and Mr. Hamelback spoke of realities that were too hard for many people to divulge in years past. As a 'field researcher' and advocate with significant knowledge on this topic, I was pleased to see the subject conveyed through an industry media platform. The bubble that is the Thoroughbred industry breeds a roller coaster of polarizing emotions that walk...

Arlington Park will allow limited spectators to attend live race days beginning Sept. 3 and for the remainder of the COVID-19 abbreviated race meeting, according to a post on the track's website that appeared late Thursday afternoon. Up to 300 patrons will be permitted to watch races on track from a variety of outdoor seating areas with strict safety protocols in place. All racegoers will be required to wear masks at all times, unless consuming food or beverages. No gatherings will be permitted indoors. The only interior areas with public...

A $32.4-billion budget proposal announced Tuesday by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy does not include a $20-million annual subsidy that has been split between the state's Thoroughbred and harness industries. The story was first reported by the website njonlinegambling.com. The subsidy was signed into law in 2019 as a way to help New Jersey's struggling tracks, the only tracks in the region that did not benefit from revenues from casinos. The bill called for $100 million in subsidies to be paid out over five years but also had a provision...

A nine-day Meadowlands-at-Monmouth Park meet will be added to the Thoroughbred racing calendar starting on Preakness Day, Saturday, Oct. 3, pending regulatory approval. Live racing will be held Oct. 3 and 4 at Monmouth Park and then every Wednesday and Saturday for the remainder of the month. There will also be a special Columbus Day holiday program Monday, Oct. 12. The Meadowlands-at-Monmouth meet will feature a stakes schedule totaling $900,000, highlighted by the GIII Monmouth S. at 1 1/8 miles on the turf Oct. 10. First race post time throughout...

In advance of GI Kentucky Derby week, Churchill Downs has administered 1,823 tests to its staff, vendors and horsemen from Wednesday, Aug. 19 through Monday, Aug. 24. Since that time, there have been a total of 47 positive tests from the group for a 2.58% positivity rate. Testing is on-going at Churchill Downs. Any individual that is permitted entrance into the Stable Area will receive a one-time, FDA-approved PCR test. Those who do not pass the test or medical screening will be denied entry onto the premises and asked to...

Gulfstream Park donated more than 500 pre-packaged hot meals Tuesday to staff members at nearby Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital. Gulfstream Chef Giovanni Arias, Executive Sous Chef Juan Magana and the entire Food & Beverage staff prepared the meals before delivering them to the Hollywod, FL hospital, with which Gulfstream has had a long partnership, including donations and yearly visits to patients by jockeys and trainers. "[Tuesday] was a special day at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital. We received a delicious lunch that was specially made just for us. We are grateful...

The Pertemps St Leger Festival at Doncaster is one of eight meetings that will be staged with crowds as part of stage five of the UK government's plan to return spectators to elite sport, the Racecourse Association announced on Wednesday. Doncaster's four-day Classic meeting from Sept. 9-12, a Sept. 21 Warwick fixture, and Newmarket's Cambridgeshire Meeting from Sept. 24-26 have all been greenlit to allow racegoers in limited fashion. In Doncaster's case, a maximum of 3,640 spectators will be allowed on the first day, increasing to 6,202 for the final...