receiving barns

HOT SPRINGS, Ark.--The mercurial Louis I. Kahn said that, "The sun never knew how great it was until it hit the side of a building." For something a touch more vernacular, the master architect was still no less pithy when he reminded us that, "Architecture is the thoughtful making of spaces." Oaklawn Park, ever the innovator in the world of horse racing, has faithfully scooped up Kahn's architectural spirit. They have put thought into a blueprint that can change their backside for the future and it starts in the form...

The nation's racetracks appear primed for compliance with the first set of uniform receiving barn cleanliness, maintenance and security regulations. Just how stringent these rules will be remains up in the air. Back in August, the TDN took a dive into the issues that stakeholders frequently raise about the nation's fleet of receiving barns. This included the potential for unclean stalls, or receiving barns in poor overall physical condition, to cause environmental contamination through left behind trace drug residues. Last month, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) issued for...

On Nov. 9 last year, veteran trainer Steve Klesaris shipped his mare She's Awesome from Delaware Park to Aqueduct to compete in the second race. When she arrived, the receiving barns were full, and so, She's Awesome (Flatter) was sent instead to the track's auxiliary stabling, used as an overflow. The auxiliary barn is adjacent to staff bathrooms, with a lot of foot traffic through it, said Klesaris. It's also used to stable ponies, he added. She's Awesome won that day. But a post-race test came up positive for the...