COVID-19

The July 8-12 meet at Keeneland Race Course got a step closer to reality Wednesday morning when the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC)'s race dates committee unanimously recommended a calendar shift agreement between Keeneland and Ellis Park. The full KHRC board still needs to approve the recommendation to make it official. But that vote is now considered a formality given that committee members passed the recommendation without any discussion, questions or opposition. The next scheduled KHRC meeting is June 16. Bob Elliston, Keeneland's vice president of racing and sales, told...

Rewards4Racing, the industry's rewards programme, will be offering its services and expertise to all UK and Irish racecourses, the organisation announced on Wednesday. In 2019, 960,000 tickets were purchased by the reward programme's members, and data has show that they attend race meetings more frequently and spend more when they come racing. One of the tracks that has accepted the offer is Plumpton Racecourse. Racing begins again in the UK on June 1, while Irish racing kicks off on June 8 after extended coronavirus-induced breaks. "During these unprecedented times, there...

The 2020 Dubai Shergar Cup at Ascot has been cancelled due to the coronavirus, Racing TV reported. Originally scheduled for Aug. 8, the four-team jockey competition played host to some of the world's best riders, but with the current travel restrictions, as well as crowds at sporting events being prohibited, Ascot decided to call off the 2020 event. "Regrettably, given the complexities of flying jockeys around the world and uncertainty over what government regulations will be in place at the time, the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup won't take place...

French listed winner Helter Skelter (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}-Winna Chope {Fr}, by Soave {Ger}) sustained a fatal injury on the gallops on Wednesday morning, owner Masaaki Matsushima confirmed to Jour de Galop. The colt, an €30,000 yearling at the Osarus September Yearling Sale in 2018 who was purchased by Matsushima after his 3 1/2-length victory in the Listed Criterium du Fonds Europeen de l'Elevage, had held an entry in the June 1 G1 G1 Poule d'Essai de Poulains. He was a last out sixth in the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau...

Trainer Andrew Balding had a positive report regarding G1SW Kameko (Kitten's Joy) in advance of the G1 English 2000 Guineas on June 6, Racing TV reported on Tuesday. The Qatar Racing runner galloped at Kempton last week. A last out winner of the G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy S. over the Newcastle all-weather, the big bay opened his career with a debut win at Sandown, before a pair of runner-up efforts in the G3 Solario S. and the G2 Royal Lodge S. "He had a gallop at Kempton last week and...

In any other year, the spring steeplechasing season would have concluded last week with the races at Fair Hill, Maryland, the latest hunt meet to draw a large and energetic crowd, there for the party as much as the races. Instead, the jump racing community is trying to figure out how it can salvage what has so far been a lost year. No slice of Thoroughbred racing has been hurt more by the coronavirus than steeplechase racing. With 14 of the 16 spring meets having been cancelled due to the...

The nomination cost for a 2-year-old to the European Breeders' Fund for 2020 has been reduced from $6,000 to $4,500, the EBF announced on Tuesday. Also, the deadline at this fee has also been extended to Aug. 31 or prior to entry in an EBF race. This nomination stage applies to 2-year-olds by a sire not registered to the EBF and standing outside of Europe and which has not been nominated at the previous deadline. Approximately 1,000 races throughout Europe are confined to EBF eligible runners and have added prize...

A series of new one-hour evening programmes on Irish racing on consecutive Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in June and early July on RTE television have been confirmed by Horse Racing Ireland and RTE on Tuesday. These new programmes, to be broadcasted on RTE2 and RTE Player with 10 extra meetings confirmed up to mid-July, will be held from 7-8 p.m. on Fridays and from 5-6 p.m. on Saturdays/Sundays. Hugh Cahill will be the main presenter, with guest analysts joining regulars Jane Mangan, Ted Walsh and Ruby Walsh. All of RTE...

The remainder of the provisional June racing programme from June 9-30 was published by the British Horseracing Authority on Monday. Previously, the first week of racing, from June 1-8 was released, while on Friday, the complete running order of Royal Ascot was also revealed and on Saturday, the BHA summer fixtures and safety guidelines were announced. The remainder of the June programme will appear on www.britishhorseracing.com website in the coming days. After the first week's emphasis on juvenile racing, the focus shifts to 3-year-olds and up. Scotland and Wales have...

The 2020 Japan Racing Horse Association (JRHA) Select Sale catalogue, featuring 13 yearlings from the penultimate crop of the late Deep Impact (Jpn), was released on Monday. Despite the ongoing challenges presented by the coronavirus, the live-format sale at the Northern Horse Park offers 257 yearlings on July 13th, with 239 weanlings catalogued for the day after. The JRHA is also preparing to take bids over the phone, as well. Print catalogues will be available the first week of June. Deep Impact's thirteen yearlings-divided between 10 colts and three fillies-include...

Keeneland has submitted a request to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's Race Dates Committee for a five-day summer meet, to be held Wednesday, July 8 through Sunday, July 12. Under the current safety protocols, the summer meet would be held without spectators. The summer dates accommodate a portion of the 16-day spring meet that Keeneland was forced to cancel due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Keeneland also will share return to racing protocols with Gov. Andy Beshear's office and local health officials for their approval. To ensure the safety of staff,...

After an Arlington International Racecourse president Tony Petrillo reiterated that Chicago's premier Thoroughbred track won't seek to start racing until spectators are permitted, Illinois Racing Board (IRB) commissioner Thomas McCauley grilled him at length Friday as to why Arlington's refusal to go spectator-free is out of step with tracks nationwide that are starting to emerge from COVID-19 restrictions. McCauley, who for months now has been practically the only IRB member to ask direct questions of witnesses, also pressed Petrillo during Friday's monthly tele-meeting on why Arlington's plans for getting up...