COVID-19 pandemic

The North American International Cataloguing Standards Committee (NAICSC) met Thursday and voted to lower the minimum purse requirement for existing non-listed black-type races by 20% for the remainder of 2020. Given the negative economic impacts of COVID-19-related restrictions on available sources for purse funds, the minimum purse value for non-listed black-type races that ran prior to 2019 will be reduced from $50,000 to $40,000 for the remainder of 2020, and the minimum purse value for non-listed black-type races that ran for the first time in 2019 will be reduced from...

Lone Star Park's 2020 Thoroughbred racing season will begin Friday, May 22. At this time, racing operations will be conducted with no spectators. Lone Star's Bar & Book Simulcasting will reopen Friday at 10:30 a.m. with occupancy limited to 25% capacity and all appropriate physical distancing measures in place. "The health and safety of our patrons and employees continues to be our top priority," a statement from Lone Star read. "We continue to monitor closely all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines and public health advancements, and we...

What has traditionally been the final leg of the Triple Crown will now be the first. The GI Belmont Stakes will be run June 20 at the distance of a mile and an eighth, NYRA announced Tuesday. In a year where the coronavirus has caused tracks across the country to scramble and adjust their racing calendars and stakes schedules, the Triple Crown, in order, will now consist of the June 20 Belmont, the GI Kentucky Derby Sept. 5 and the GI Preakness Oct. 3. "The Belmont Stakes is a New...

Indiana Grand Racing & Casino has released its revised condition book and stakes schedule for the 2020 season. Both are contingent upon the approval of the Indiana Horse Racing Commission on the recently proposed racing dates of a 94-day season beginning Monday, June 15 and finishing Wednesday, Nov. 18. The Thoroughbred stakes calendar is highlighted by the GIII Indiana Derby and GIII Indiana Oaks that will move to July 8 as a part of a six-stakes program. The Indiana Derby purse has been changed to $300,000, and the distance changed...

Oaklawn Park, which is scheduled to reopen its casino May 18 at 9:00 a.m., outlined the guidelines which will be implemented to facilitate the reopening process. The casino has been closed since Mar. 16 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. "We are fully prepared to meet or exceed all recommended health and hygiene protocols," said General Manager Wayne Smith. "While we understand this timing might not be right for some people, just know we will be ready and safe for you when you are. The health and safety of...

Golden Gate Fields will resume live racing on Thursday, May 14, after receiving provisional approval Wednesday morning from the Alameda County Public Health Officer. Live racing was temporarily suspended Apr. 2, following an order from Alameda County in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Live racing will be conducted under strict protocols and without spectators, to protect the health, safety and welfare of every person and every horse in the Golden Gate Fields community. The protocols are still being finalized with county officials and will be released in the coming days,...

The 2020 Thoroughbred racing season at Harrah's Louisiana Downs, which was originally scheduled to begin Saturday, May 2, will commence Saturday, June 6. An emergency meeting of the Louisiana State Racing Commission took place May 5 and unanimous approval for the revised opening date was granted. Due to state mandates regarding COVID-19, Harrah's Louisiana Downs concluded its 2020 Quarter Horse meet Monday, Mar. 16, two days ahead of the scheduled final date. Thoroughbreds have been training there since Monday, Apr. 13 when a judge ruling allowed horsemen to be permitted...

As many businesses evolve to address public safety concerns in the age of COVID-19, Woodford Thoroughbreds has announced extensive safety protocols for the OBS Horses in Training Sale set to take place June 9-12. Beth Bayer, Director of Sales commented, "The 2-year-old in training sales are a critical piece to the sale cycle of the Thoroughbred Industry in the United States. We have full confidence in the preparation that went into our horses and expect them to perform well. Woodford Thoroughbreds understands in order for the sale to be a...

Entries have been announced for the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, which honors long-form pieces on horse racing and offers $10,000 in prize money. Winners have traditionally been announced each April at a reception held in the historic stallion barn at the Ryan family's Castleton Lyons farm near Lexington, Kentucky. This year will be different due to the broad reach of COVID-19; the springtime celebration honoring the winner and finalists has been postponed for now, with plans to reschedule as a possibly scaled-back event in the fall. Each of these...

The ninth Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit, which was scheduled to be held in the Keeneland sales pavilion in Lexington, Ky., June 23, has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation has announced. In lieu of an in-person event, Grayson will instead be hosting a series of weekly online seminars on equine health and safety topics starting May 12. "While we are disappointed to cancel an in-person edition of the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit, we are pleased to be able...

Birmingham Race Course, a former Thoroughbred track in Alabama that has exclusively run greyhounds since 1995, has announced it will no longer be in the business of live racing, making it the first North American pari-mutuel venue to close in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a report by the Associated Press, management wants the track to remain open for simulcasting and historical horse race gaming, which it launched last autumn. Birmingham last raced live Mar. 18, but the facility has been closed since then because of a...

Scheduled to end May 3, the Tampa Bay Downs meet will now be extended to May 30. The track made the announcement Thursday on its Twitter feed. Tampa had revealed its intentions to expand the meet earlier this week, but could not make an official announcement until receiving permission from Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering to add the extra days. Tampa currently races four days a week, but once the extended meet begins will cut back to three. There will be no racing on Sundays. Under the new schedule, 12...