Coronavirus

While still awaiting word from Gov. Andrew Cuomo regarding when it can resume racing, NYRA has submitted a comprehensive plan to the state and the New York Gaming Commission outlining the steps it is taking to maintain a safe environment for those who must be on hand to conduct racing. The timetable for a resumption of racing at Belmont Park may also hinge on a region-by-region approach to opening the state announced by Cuomo Monday. The Governor's office has divided the state into 10 regions and said each one can...

The Kentucky Derby Museum is donating over $10,000 to support COVID-19 relief efforts in the state after the success of its Collect to Contribute campaign. The Kentucky Derby Museum closed to in-person visitors mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.  During the shutdown, the Museum's Collect to Contribute online retail campaign sold collectible Derby 146 merchandise branded with the original Kentucky Derby date of May 2, 2020. The Museum pledged to donate 20% of the profits to Governor Andy Beshear's Team Kentucky Fund and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer's One Louisville: COVID-19...

Santa Anita has sent a text to local horsemen confirming that it will take entries Tuesday for the Friday, May 15 card. Due to the coronavirus, Santa Anita has been closed for racing since Mar. 27. Earlier this month, track officials announced their plans to reopen on the 15th and issued a new condition book and stakes schedule. The state has begun to lift restrictions on some businesses, including parks and golf courses and the county's "Safer-at-Home" order is set to expire Friday. But the track has yet to be...

Effective Wednesday, May 13, all restricted personnel accessing Woodbine's backstretch will be mandated to wear a mask or face covering as a further precautionary measure against COVID-19, Woodbine Entertainment announced Monday. The only exception to wearing a mask or face covering will be when a rider is actively breezing or actively galloping a horse, otherwise face masks must always be on and covering the nose and mouth. Jockeys will be permitted to access the Woodbine backstretch to breeze horses under strict physical distancing protocols beginning Wednesday as well.

The British government released its timeline for the potential resumption of sporting events on Monday, and in its Our Plan to Rebuild, cultural and sporting events conducted behind closed doors-like racing-are part of the second step of lifting the current coronavirus restrictions and would resume no earlier than June 1. The news was welcomed by British horseracing's executive committee comprised of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), the Racecourse Association, The Racehorse Owners' Association and the National Trainers Federation, who are "committed to plan for resumption on June 1st," according to...

Nominations for the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Stud Employee Award are now open. Sponsored by Peter Stanley's New England Stud, the award aims to recognise the significant contributions that stud employees make to the breeding industry and reward those who have show dedication and excellence in their role. Selected from a pool of six short-listed nominees, the winner will receive £2,000, a perpetual trophy in the form of a Charlie Langton bronze and a memento. The remaining short-listed nominees will receive £250 each. As the TBA Flat Breeders' Awards Evening has...

Along with New York and London, Paris has earned another, more unwelcome renown of late but on the day that most of the rest of France emerge from their doors closed shut by COVID-19, the Bois de Boulogne bears witness to the first major sporting action since mid-March. Such is the tightrope nature of the industry's predicament at present, it was enough to convince President Macron at the 11th hour to allow racing to take place within the "red zone" which is still under strict lockdown. ParisLongchamp has seen its...

by T.D. Thornton & Bill Finley Even before their stabling areas officially begin readmitting horses next week, Churchill Downs and Keeneland are already working in tandem to provide on-site COVID-19 testing of backstretch workers and licensed personnel who will be involved when racing resumes at Churchill May 16. A negative result will be required to gain access to both racetracks. The mandate of swab testing for all Kentucky racetrack personnel exceeds the scope of recommendations published May 7 by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA). Bob Elliston, Keeneland's vice president...

Phumelela Gaming and Leisure (PGL) went into Business Rescue May 8, and a Post Commencement Finance ('PCF') deal has been agreed to with Mary Oppenheimer Daughters Pty Ltd ('MOD'), reported Sporting Post. One of the conditions of the deal outlined by MOD was that the PCF Board initiate Business Rescue. Charles Savage was appointed by MOD to act as an intermediary between the two entities. Previously facing bankruptcy (TDN, May 4), the injection of PCF will allow PGL to meet its financial obligations for the duration of the Business Rescue...

Lara Telfer earned the top prize of £1,500 and an all-expenses-paid trip to the G1 Qatar Prix De L'Arc De Triomphe, courtesy of Racing Breaks, concluding Racing Welfare's singing competition, the Furlong Factor. Clinching the title following her rendition of James Bay's Let It Go, Telfer was named the winner during a special live broadcast on Sky Sports Racing hosted by Luke Harvey. She will also receive a trophy donated by Inkerman London. Racing Welfare, in association with Great British Racing (GBR) and Tote and Sky Sports Racing, launched the...

The American Triple Crown is among a never-ending string of sporting fixtures that have been upended as a result of the current coronavirus pandemic. Churchill Downs addressed the issue first, announcing that the 2020 renewal of the GI Kentucky Derby will be presented Sept. 5, while the Maryland Jockey Club followed, announcing the GI Preakness S. would also be rescheduled, although an official date has yet to be announced for the Triple Crown's second jewel despite reports of an October running. NYRA has yet to confirm a date for the...

French President Emmanuel Macron has greenlit the May 11 resumption of racing in France behind closed doors, France Galop and LeTROT jointly announced Saturday morning. France Galop, LeTROT and the National Federation of horse racing received the government authorities definitive approval for the resumption of racing in France from May 11, in accordance with the program established by the racing authorities. The news came after France Galop and Le TROT had spent Friday negotiating with the government, releasing a joint press release late Friday evening. There had been rumors of...