News last weekend that new COVID-19 lockdown measures will force the closure of Woodbine before the end of its scheduled meet was met with frustration and uncertainty for track management and horsemen. The move seems unfair to Toronto Sun columnist Steve Buffery, who writes that the track has demonstrated an exemplary ability to keep COVID-19 at bay at a facility that sees 2,000 backstretch workers in the barn area every day.
Since the pandemic began, Buffery writes the track has seen one positive in its jockey colony, and that contact tracing determined the rider had been exposed to the virus outside of track property.
Training will still be permitted at Woodbine, which seems counterintuitive to Buffery, who points out that people will still need to enter the property for daily care of the horses associated with those activities.
According to the editorial published Tuesday, Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson has reached out to government officials to discuss whether there is a way to allow the meet to complete its last few days. Lawson said he has not had a response from the government and has been unable to reach anyone on the phone.
Many have expressed concern for the futures of the horses (particularly those less successful runners) and the people who rely on them if the track can not complete the meet as planned. Woodbine will lose three weeks' worth of racing, with about $5.2 million in purses not being distributed as planned.
“They didn't do enough due diligence and homework to understand what we're doing,” Lawson told Buffery. “The decision was made without enough understanding of the Woodbine situation and the thousands of people that worked there in a COVID-free environment.
“The case is so strong.”
Read more at the Toronto Sun
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