Coronavirus

Woodbine CEO Jim Lawson told the Toronto Sun that he anticipates racing will resume at the Ontario track in approximately six weeks. "With the optimism that we all need to share, we anticipate that we are approximately six weeks away from resuming live racing (under the strict conditions being developed with the AGCO) if the Provincial Declaration of Emergency is lifted and parts of the economy are permitted to gradually re-open following government and health officials' guidelines," Lawson told the Sun. "I will continue to provide updates in the coming...

The British Horseracing Authority over the next week will draw up a provisional programme for the first seven days of racing's resumption, with that resumption date yet to be determined. In a release on Thursday, the BHA said it will then publish the remainder of the provisional programme up until the end of June. Racecourses were this week invited to submit expressions of interest to stage fixtures upon racing's return, which will help with the development of the provisional programme. Racing's resumption will be based on a phased approach, and...

Lara Telfer, Regional Marketing Manager for the Jockey Club's South West region, won the first heat of Racing Welfare's Furlong Factor with her rendition of Birdy's son, Wings. Competing against three other singers, Telfer now advances toward the Furlong Factor Final, which will be broadcasted on Sky Sports Racing on Saturday, May 9th. Heat two begins at 8 p.m. local time on Racing Welfare's Twitter page on Thursday evening and heats will continue every night until May 4th. Contestants are battling for a £1,5000 cash prize and an all-expenses paid...

Entries for the Frankie Dettori Raffle are now open. For the winning racing fan, announced by Dettori on June 1, they will be able to register their own silks for a horse to carry in one Flat race in 2021, with Dettori in the irons. All proceeds from the competition, run by the newly launched Racehorse Lotto and supported by Racing Breaks, will go to the Charities Together COVID-19 Appeal. Tickets are £2 each, with entries limited to UK residents age 18 or older and excluding Northern Ireland. For more...

Backstretch workers at Belmont Park will soon receive some relief in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic in the form of $50 gift cards donated by United Way of Long Island. The cards, which total more than $30,000 in value, will be distributed to all backstretch workers by members of the Backstretch Employee Service Team of New York (B.E.S.T.) and the Belmont Child Care Association (BCCA). This gift expands a program that kicked off earlier this month in which backstretch workers completing quarantine received gift cards, courtesy of United Way...

Predictably, Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), on Wednesday reported 2020 first-quarter revenue drops because of the COVID-19 pandemic that has shut down racing and gaming throughout the nation since mid-March. But CDI noted within those results that it experienced "strong performance" from its TwinSpires advance-deposit wagering platform, with handle growth of 8.3% over the prior year's quarter. "For the first quarter of 2020, net revenue increased $4.3 million from the prior year quarter primarily due to a $3.7 million increase at TwinSpires," CDI reported in its Apr. 29 United States Securities...

Churchill Downs has been cleared by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear to open its backstretch area May 11 so long as the track adheres to enhanced pandemic precautions approved by the state. Beshear announced the clearance Wednesday at his daily COVID-19 video press conference as part of a phased-in reopening for various state industries. Churchill followed up about an hour later with a press release that included specifics pertinent to horsemen. Neither Beshear nor the track pinpointed an exact date for the return of live racing. But the Churchill release stated...

With Lone Star Park announcing that it will open its stable area May 4 and with Texas Governor Greg Abbott going ahead with aggressive plans to re-open the state's businesses, Texas horsemen have said they are confident that racing will resume shortly at Lone Star Park. And there may even be fans in the stands to greet racing's return. There has been no racing in Texas since Mar. 28, when Sam Houston ended its meet ahead of schedule. The Lone Star meet was set to begin Apr. 16, but the...

Santa Anita will put out a condition book April 30 which will target May 15 for the resumption of live racing under strict protocols with no fans present, according to a letter issued by track management Wednesday. The TDN obtained a copy of the letter, which was sent to Greg Avioli, the President and CEO of the Thoroughbred Owners of California; Alan Balch, the Executive Director of California Thoroughbred Trainers; and Darrell Haire, Regional Manager of the Jockeys' Guild. Officials at Santa Anita said that they would have no comment...

from Katie DeCanzio I am writing with urgency asking for help by bringing attention to a crisis we are currently experiencing in Pennsylvania regarding the horse racing industry. As a result of Gov. Tom Wolf's lockdown orders in response to Covid-19 our industry is on the verge of collapse. Horse racing in Pennsylvania generates revenues solely through gaming activities.Horse racing creates 23,000 jobs and billions of dollars of economic activity within our state. Unlike other businesses, horse racing cannot simply shut its doors as a result of a lockdown order.There...

by Anne Sabatino Hardy Executive Director, Horse Country That's the number left over when you subtract attendance numbers of the record-high 2015 Kentucky Derby (170,513) from the 202,000 views of Claiborne Farm's virtual stallion tour on Facebook (March 17). In fact the TDN's own post-production treatments of virtual tours and unique online content have spawned their own virality. Right now, there's no place more populated than the internet and social media. It's safe. It doesn't require planes, trains or automobiles. It's low-cost, low-barrier and high desire. And, interestingly, the same...

Deutscher Galopp has announced that no runners trained outside Germany will be allowed to race in the country before the end of May. German racing is set to resume behind closed doors on Monday, May 4 at Dortmund. The first Pattern races, the G2 Carl Jespers Preis and the G3 Cologne Classic, will be held the following Friday in Cologne. British-based trainer Karl Burke had been hoping to send a runner for each of those contests but, following an announcement by the German racing authority on Wednesday, he will not...