COVID-19

Canterbury Park has furloughed approximately 850 employees as a result of their temporary closure due to the coronavirus, and has subjected key personnel to salary reductions, according to a statement from the Canterbury Park Holding Corporation Wednesday. "Since suspending all operations at Canterbury Park on March 16, 2020, we have acted aggressively to preserve cash by reducing our operating expenses, suspending or delaying our 2020 planned capital expenditures, and suspending our quarterly cash dividend," said Randy Sampson, Canterbury Park President and CEO. "The additional actions we are implementing today are...

Nourish Lexington, an initiative to utilize hospitality workers recently unemployed due to the COVID-19 closings as well as other community food assets to provide prepared meals to those who need immediate access to food, has been created by several Central Kentucky community organizations, including Keeneland. FoodChain, with support from the E.E. Murry Family Foundation, Keeneland and VisitLEX, formed Nourish Lexington as a model collaboration to use the skills and talents of local chefs, businesses, farms, funders and nonprofit agencies in order to feed our hungry community members. Other generous donors...

Editor's note: The Thoroughbred racing industry is covered under legislation passed in Washington to bolster an economy that has been hard hit by the coronavirus. To clarify what is available to racing participants, the NTRA held a teleconference Wednesday which included tax experts who serve the racing industry. To break down what is available and who qualifies for assistance, the TDN asked Green Group Founder and Chairman Len Green to go over the CARES Act and its provisions. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act ("CARES Act") became law...

The NTRA and its Washington, D.C., legislative team, The Alpine Group, and Kentucky-based Dean Dorton, one of the nation's leading experts on equine tax matters, will host a national teleconference to review Federal stimulus bills recently passed to combat the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. The teleconference, which will be held Wednesday, April 1, at 11:30 a.m. ET., is open to media, representatives of equine businesses, their employees, and other individuals in the equine industry impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Among the topics to be covered is an in-depth analysis...

For Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, the hard part of having the coronavirus has not been the physical effects. Relatively young at 42 years old and in peak physical condition, Castellano said he feels "great" and considers himself to be "very lucky and very fortunate." But that doesn't mean the coronavirus didn't beat him up, just in other ways. Castellano said Tuesday that the mental toll COVID-19 took on him was substantial and the hardest part of his ordeal. "This has been one of toughest challenges I have faced...

Santa Anita Park announced Tuesday that it will remain closed for live racing through at least the weekend, prompting the postponement of the GI Santa Anita Derby and GII Santa Anita Oaks, which where scheduled for this Saturday, Apr. 4, to an undetermined date later in the meet. Racing was halted at Santa Anita last Friday on orders of the Los Angeles County Health Department, which has closed all businesses deemed non-essential in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been no known cases of COVID-19 at Santa Anita Park...

Woodbine issued the following release Tuesday: With the Government of Ontario extending the Declaration of Provincial Emergency and associated emergency measures due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, Woodbine Entertainment announced that it remains committed to stabling horses on its backstretch for the purpose of providing them with the essential care they require. Businesses that provide for the health and welfare of animals, including stabling, have been deemed essential workplaces by the Province "These horses need a home and our land and facilities were created exactly for the purpose of caring...

Hollie Doyle is keeping herself in the groove to make sure she is ready for the resumption of racing--whenever that might be. Doyle, 23, is riding out every day and will be primed for a return to action once the go ahead is received on the track. "There's not a lot we can do really--we've got to keep the horses going," said the record-breaking jockey. "I'm just riding out every day and getting my exercise--at least we're all in the same position. I rode out for Archie Watson [on Monday]....

Congress recently implemented changes to the IRS Tax Code, The CARES Act, to provide relief from the COVID-19 outbreak. We reviewed the updates and are pleased to report that (for the most part) the changes will benefit those in the Thoroughbred industry. Below please find a summary of the most relevant items and how they affect the horse business: 1. Prior to the recent update, the tax law capped business losses at $250,000 for single taxpayers and $500,000 for married filing joint returns. A business loss in excess of those...

James Tate believes Newmarket is the ideal location for racing to take place behind closed doors--if and when the British Horseracing Authority is able to resume the fixture list. The Newmarket trainer is confident meetings could be staged on the Rowley Mile under a phased return which would reflect any easing of the COVID-19 measures currently in place. Prospects of racing--which has been placed on lockdown by the BHA until the end of April at least--were given a glimmer of hope on Friday after a letter issued to stakeholders by...

A COVID-19 response plan for the UK racing industry was published on Monday by the industry group coordinating the response and liaising with the UK government. The purpose of the operational plan is to protect the health of British racing's people, horses, and businesses during the pandemic and have a blueprint in place for the earliest possible resumption of racing and a strong recovery once racing has begun again. It also outlines the range of activities, led by the industry's COVID-19 Group, to meet the challenges presented by the pandemic....

A new protocol for safe mare movement during the breeding season was announced by the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association on Sunday. Despite Irish racing being halted on Mar. 24 due to the COVID-19 outbreak and Ireland beginning its own lockdown, breeding practices are allowed to continue. The ITBA statement is as follows: When transporting your mare to stud/boarding farm breeders should make sure they have one official form of picture identification with them and if an employee, have a letter from your employer indicating that you are an essential employee....