Coronavirus

Officials at the Maryland Jockey Club announced the cancellation of Friday's scheduled live racing program at Laurel Park and will pause racing indefinitely following an executive order from the office of Maryland Governor Larry Hogan. "In accordance with the Maryland Governor's Executive Orders and as part of the continuing effort to protect the health and safety of essential personnel and the horses they care for, the Maryland Jockey Club will temporarily pause live racing at Laurel Park and Rosecroft Raceway," read a statement. "Our top priority is the well-being of...

The shutdown of British racing through April as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has already been "catastrophic" to stable staff, said George McGrath, chief executive of the National Association of Racing Staff. McGrath told Sky Sports Racing that the organization, which represents about 7,500 stable workers, has been inundated with calls since the British Horseracing Authority announced on Tuesday that racing would cease for six weeks. "Without a doubt the main concerns are job losses and redundancies," McGrath said. "Where do they get money from? Some have gone into...

NETFLIX, ANYONE?    In these days of self-isolation, the need to find your next great t.v. series is greater than ever. We asked some industry folks what they're watching these days, and for their top recommendations to last us until we can leave our homes again. Pull up a couch!  BECKY THOMAS I think at times like this we should all binge watch (if we weren't taking care of these horses we can't sell!) "Curb Your Enthusiasm." It is funny and lighthearted about ordinary every day activities. JEN ROYTZ, RETIRED...

Gulfstream Park issued the following announcement late Thursday night:  Gulfstream Park will suspend racing for one day, Friday, March 20, to update its protocols in a number of areas, including the Jockeys' Room. Racing is scheduled to resume on Saturday, March 21. Last week, Gulfstream Park took strict measures to limit exposure by closing the facility to the public for live racing and simulcast. Gulfstream Park has operated in full compliance with all government and local health orders, while ensuring the protection of the essential personnel that care for the...

Just five days after he attended the races at Oaklawn Park, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton announced Thursday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. "This is not just about social distancing," Payton told ESPN. "It's shutting down here for a week to two weeks. If people understand the curve, and understand the bump, we can easily work together as a country to reduce it. Take a minute to understand what the experts are saying. It's not complicated to do what they're asking of us. Just that...

Gulfstream-based jockey Rajiv Maragh announced Thursday via twitter that he has decided to stop riding indefinitely due to the coronavirus outbreak. He told the TDN that the reasons for his decision include that his wife is five-months pregnant with their first child. Maragh is listed on one horse Friday at Gulfstream, Yes I See (Exchange Rate), the 5-2 second choice in the line in the second race. "I am doing this mainly for the health and welfare of myself and my family," he said. "I have a pregnant wife at...

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) unanimously voted at a special meeting Thursday to allow Churchill Downs to shift five "optional" Wednesday race dates from its spring meet to Sept. 1-5 to accommodate the track's coronavirus-related rescheduling of the entire Tuesday-through-Saturday GI Kentucky Derby race week. The KHRC's approval came after two other Kentucky tracks that have already been granted traditional race dates during that September time block indicated they would be amenable to working out a compromise for the betterment of the entire circuit. That means Ellis Park will...

Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields closed their stable entry gates to outside personnel at their racing and training as did San Luis Rey Downs. The stable entry gate closure will not extend to horses, as current scientific evidence suggests that horses cannot develop COVID-19 and therefore present no danger of transmission to other horses or people. The closure of the stable entry gates means that no new accompanying personnel, including jockeys, trainers or grooms, will be allowed onto the grounds with horses who ship from outside of California...

The New York Racing Association has suspended live racing at Aqueduct Racetrack until further notice due to changing circumstances in the racing community relative to the coronavirus. A backstretch worker who lives and works at Belmont Park tested positive Thursday morning for the coronavirus. Following NYRA's Preparedness and Response Plan, the worker has been quarantined since developing symptoms the morning of Friday, Mar. 13. His roommate was also quarantined at that time. "This individual and his roommate have been in isolation since prior to racing last Friday and as such...

Laurel Park's stable area will be closed to horses other than those based at Laurel and Pimlico Race Course, effectively immediately. Shippers will not be permitted, and any that had been entered for Mar. 20-21 at Laurel Park will be scratched. The decision is part of a series of precautionary and safety measures put in place by the Maryland Jockey Club and Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association given the coronavirus situation. Laurel Park is scheduled to offer an 10-race card Mar. 20 and an 11-race card Mar. 21 with access severely...

It's hard to talk about anything else these days. Just a week after what we thought was the biggest story in horse racing history, the Coronavirus outbreak has overshadowed the horse doping scandal. Today, Joe Bianca (from home), along with Bill Finley and Jon Green (six feet apart in the studio) talk about how the pandemic has stopped racing in many places around the world, how others are persevering, and what will become of the Triple Crown. In this special podcast with host Joe Bianca calling in from home, we...

It's hard to talk about anything else these days. Just a week after what we thought was the biggest story in horse racing history, the Coronavirus outbreak has overshadowed the horse doping scandal. Today, Joe Bianca (from home), along with Bill Finley and Jon Green (six feet apart in the studio) talk about how the pandemic has turned racing upside down, and has caused the rescheduling of the Kentucky Derby.