COVID-19

Leading rider Irad Ortiz, Jr., returns to racing at Gulfstream Saturday for the first time since Mar. 19. The two-time Eclipse winner, who stopped riding due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has mounts in nine of 12 races Saturday, including favored Dr Post (Quality Road) in the Unbridled S. He is also named in seven of 11 races in Hallandale Sunday. "I'm very excited to be back riding," Ortiz said. "Thank God, I have the help from all the owners and trainers. A lot of people support me here, so I...

President Trump signed an emergency aid package providing additional relief to small businesses and health care facilities into law Friday and the Small Business Administration released updated guidance that will assist the horse industry. The new law provides $310 billion to replenish the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for small businesses, which was oversubscribed. The additional appropriation will allow financial institutions to make additional forgivable loans to eligible small businesses in order to keep employees on the payroll for eight weeks. The new law also includes $60 billion in loans and...

Santa Anita issued the following statement Thursday regarding a possible resumption of live racing: "Santa Anita is continuing discussions with the LA County Health Department and LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger's office as they undertake a thorough and thoughtful review of the proposal submitted to resume live racing as soon as possible at Santa Anita. The comprehensive written proposal was submitted last Thursday (Apr. 16), following a meeting with Supervisor Barger earlier that day. While Santa Anita is first and foremost in our minds, we are one of literally hundreds...

Turf Paradise management and the Arizona horsemen have come to an agreement that will see the track remain open for stabling an extra 10 days. The track was scheduled to close its doors to the roughly 740 horses currently stabled there on the last day of April. Nevertheless, the track will remain open those extra 10 days for stabling only, and not training, meaning exercise will be limited to the barn area. "If this thing lasts longer than those 10 [days], then I think we'll probably be able to get...

Dortmund Racecourse will hold the first German race meeting since the coronavirus halted racing in that country earlier this year, Galopponline.de reported on Thursday. Racing was originally scheduled to resume on May 1, but government regulations have prevented three meetings-Hannover (May 1), Mannheim (May 2) and Cologne (May 3) from going forward. It is hoped they will be rescheduled beginning on May 5th. "We have worked a lot in the past few days and have been in constant contact with governments, local authorities and the racecourses since then, Michael Vesper,...

In this week's TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland, NYTHA president Joe Appelbaum joined the crew as the Green Group Guest of the Week to talk about when we can expect to see racing again in New York, the efforts to help Belmont backstretch workers, his personal betting strategies and much more. "The situation on the backstretch has improved considerably, not unlike the rest of the situation in New York City," Appelbaum said. "In Nassau County, we're functioning. We have close to 1,500 horses there. They're training six days a...

A pair of workers at Turfway Park--one backstretch worker and one track employee--have tested positive for coronavirus in recent weeks, according to a report first published by Blood-Horse. Turfway's parent company Churchill Downs ended the Turfway meet--which had been being conducted without spectators--three days earlier than scheduled last month, citing Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear's "Healthy at Home" executive order. Churchill Downs, Inc. spokesperson Tonya Abeln confirmed to the TDN Wednesday that the ill backstretch worker was symptomatic more than two weeks ago and was subsequently hospitalized and tested positive for...

Following the news that mass gatherings of over 5,000 people have been banned in Ireland until Sept. 1, the 2020 Galway Races Summer Festival, provisionally scheduled for July 27-Aug. 2, will be held without spectators due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Galway Race Committee announced on Tuesday. As it currently stands, the meeting will be conducted in accordance with Irish government policy and with the approval of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and the Irish Horse Racing Regulatory Board. This spectatorless scenario is currently being worked on, and an update...

Officials at York are considering all options as to how the season will proceed in light of the coronavirus crisis. The track called off next month's Dante Festival last week when the British Horseracing Authority announced an extension to the suspension of racing, with spectators ruled out until June even if action has resumed. The BHA has outlined a phased return when the Government says it is safe to do so, with plans in place for racing behind closed doors on the Flat as soon as that becomes the case,...

A trio of Japanese 2-year-old sales have been changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The news was first reported in Blood-Horse. Nakayama Racecourse was due to host the 83-lot Japan Racing Association's Breeze-Up Sale on Apr. 28, but the sale has now become an online auction only. All confirmation photos, breeze videos and vet reports will be available on the JRA website. Virtual bids will be accepted from buyers from Apr. 28-30. The Hidaka Breeders' Association's May 12 Hokkaido Training Sale has been cancelled, with all 162 juveniles available for...

The Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (TBA) has launched a survey to assess the immediate impact on the British Thoroughbred breeding industry brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is intended that the TBA will carry out a further survey of breeders' activities as the situation progresses in order to formulate a strategy to support the British breeding industry.  In the meantime it is seeking respondents to its initial survey, found via this link, by Friday, Apr. 24.

Last week, I was listening to the TDN Podcast. The Green Group Guest of the Week was the very successful trainer and four-time Eclipse winner Chad Brown. One of the panelists asked Chad if he was affected by economically by COVID-19, even though he had relationships with so many significant owners who might be able to weather the storm of uncertainty. Chad's response was that "all trainers are being affected, especially the smaller to midsize ones." That got me thinking. I have seen hundreds of articles and podcasts on the...