Coronavirus

The Pennsylvania Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (PHBPA) has agreed in principle with the management of Penn National to resume spectator-free racing at the track prior to the opening of Hollywood Casino if Governor Tom Wolf gives approval. "When racing resumes, our board is committed to maintaining the same daily purse structure," Todd Mostoller, the PHBPA's executive director, wrote in a one-page memo to members issued Wednesday afternoon. "The number of days raced will be adjusted as needed." Mostoller added that he has received assurance from the governor's office that...

Tampa Bay Downs has added eight dates in June to its 2019-2020 Thoroughbred racing calendar after its request was approved by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The track will conduct racing in June on Mondays and Wednesdays: June 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22 and 24. Spectators will not be allowed, nor will they be permitted to attend the track's annual two-day Summer Festival of Racing June 30 and July 1. Tampa Bay Downs is racing on a Wednesday-Friday-Saturday schedule through May 30. Management expects the...

Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association President Tim Keefe said it may be "unrealistic" for the local purse account to pay for the $1.5-million Preakness and the several stakes that are held in support of the Preakness. In a statement issued Tuesday, Keefe said he has become increasingly concerned about the amount of purse money that is available for racing at Pimlico and Laurel. There has been no racing in Maryland since Mar. 15, but the bigger problem is that the state's casinos also shut down on that date. According to Keefe,...

After the British Horseracing Authority released a policy to ensure that Royal Ascot's 2-year-old races were made up of the highest quality fields possible despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus on Friday, that scheme has now been tweaked to include all trainers after discussions with the National Trainers Federation and the Racehorse Owners Association, the BHA announced on Tuesday afternoon. The policy is intended to manage the demand for 2-year-old runs in the first eight days following the June 1 resumption of racing and was part of a larger...

The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) teleconference meeting Tuesday resulted in the adoption of four new Thoroughbred-related rules and the proposal of two others. Even though it was the NYSGC's first meeting since the COVID-19 crisis halted the state's racing industry in March, the five commissioners who participated did not discuss the pandemic or any aspect of return-to-racing plans for New York tracks. The only time the coronavirus got an oblique mention was during the reading into the record of a proposed emergency rule regarding changing qualifying race requirements...

The updated German fixture list, which has been modified due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was released by Deutscher Gallop on Tuesday. Previously, the racing calendar for Germany had been outlined through only June 15, as the nation begins to leave lockdown. The current safety precautions, which include racing without spectators, regional clustering and one event per calendar day, will also still apply. For the German racing calendar through Aug. 30, go to www.deutscher-galopp.de.

After eight days of racing behind closed doors since resuming on May 11, racing has once again been called off in France's 'red zone' areas--Ile-de-France, Hauts-de-France, Grand-Est and Bourgogne-Franche-Comte, which comprise Paris and its surrounding areas--with a government decree expected to be published in the coming days specifying that racing can continue in the country's 'green zones,' but not the red. The meetings affected over the next week are ParisLongchamp (Thursday and Sunday), Strasbourg (Thursday), Fontainebleau and Compiegne (Friday), Saint-Cloud (Monday) and Auteuil (Tuesday). Other courses in red zones include...

High Heels Racing Syndicate, which closed its books after earning over €40,000 with 53% top-three finishes from 71 races, will donate its remaining funds of €3,000 to Au-Dela des Pistes. The latter is a non-profit organisation that promotes and helps with the welfare and re-homing of ex-racehorses in France. More than 600 horses have found new homes since it was founded in 2016. "I would like to thank the incredible generosity of our numerous syndicate partners who did not hesitate a second to support the cause," said High Heels Racing...

On Monday, footballer Clément Lenglet sent out his 3-year-old colt Bois D'Argent (Toronado {Ire}) to an impressive debut win at Chantilly. A member of France's national team, he currently plays his club football for Barcelona and has two horses in training with Francis-Henri Graffard. Lenglet, who grew up about 40 minutes from Chantilly, is advised by French bloodstock consultant Ghislain Bozo. TDN's Gary King caught up with the centre-back after the win. TDN: Could you describe how you developed your interest in horses and horse racing. CL: My father went...

Grants Pass Downs opened for training Monday ahead of a nine-date, spectator-free race meet that will span June 16-July 8. Purses are projected at $60,000 daily, according to a press release issued by the track. However, two stops on the Oregon summer circuit have called off their race meets because of the coronavirus pandemic. According to a notice posted on the Oregon Racing Commission web site, the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show meet at Union, which traditionally kicks off the summer fair circuit in the state, will not run its June...

When the New York Racing Association announced Mar. 25 that racing would be suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, perhaps no lives were affected as much as those of the New York backstretch workers. The New York Race Track Chaplaincy, which has been dedicated to supporting and ministering to the needs of this community for over 30 years, jumped into action. They began a campaign to help the 3,500 people who were suddenly without their normal wage deal with the challenges that resulted from the pandemic, asking for help in...

Two horses at Woodbine have tested positive for equine herpesvirus EHV-1, according to a report on CanadianThoroughbred.com. The two reportedly came from Barn 12 on the track's backstretch and are currently being cared for at the University of Guelph in Ontario. The news comes shortly after Woodbine was given the green light to reopen for racing June 6. "This will be an evolving situation, and we will keep [horsepeople] updated with information as it is known," Jessica Buckley, Woodbine Entertainment's senior vice president of racing, told CanadianThoroughbred.com's Jennifer Morrison. "This...