December, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Fans Return To English Racecourses

Racecourse Association Chief Executive David Armstrong described the return of limited spectators to four English racecourses on Wednesday as a “step in the right direction.”

Ludlow, Lingfield and Haydock welcomed racegoers on Wednesday afternoon, while Kempton had a small crowd for its evening card. All four tracks are in ‘Tier 2′ areas of the country as part of the government’s new system for identifying coronavirus risk levels, meaning they can allow up to 2,000 fans or 50% capacity, whichever is lowest.

Aside from two pilot events in September, Wednesday marked the first time fans have been allowed on English racecourses since racing’s resumption on June 1.

“It’s definitely a step in the right direction,” Armstrong said from Ludlow. “What I wouldn’t describe it as is a pilot or test. It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s a baby step.

“It is important here at Ludlow today, where 650 people will make it quite a good atmosphere. If you think about most racecourses, if they have 2,000 people, it is barely touching the sides–so it doesn’t yet get back to where we create the atmosphere or make it more economically viable. Those are steps that are still to come, but we have to start with a baby step and in the current environment, we are very fortunate to get the opportunity to bring this number of people back so soon.

“I probably wasn’t expecting it until after Christmas, so this is a bonus. But the real work is how we bring crowds back at a significant scale, because that is where the economics start to work.”

Armstrong said that as things stand right now and despite the financial hardships of 2020, he expects all of England’s current courses to be operating in 2021.

“There are some in a more fragile position than others and if in 12 months’ time the crowds weren’t allowed back, then I don’t think they would all survive, but I’m confident they all will,” he said. “We are seeing the first step of it today. We are on a journey to bring back crowds in sensible numbers, and once we do that, then they will all be fine.”

The post Fans Return To English Racecourses appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Parx Announcer Keith Jones Retires

After more than three decades as the voice of Parx Racing, announcer Keith Jones will be stepping away from the microphone at the end of the year. Since 1987, Jones has been the voice of Philadelphia Park/Parx, making him the second longest tenured announcer after Tampa Bay Downs’ Richard Grunder. Jones began his career at Garden State Park before moving permanently to Philadelphia Park.

“I’ll be forever grateful to the management at Greenwood for affording me an opportunity to pursue a career doing something I’ve thoroughly enjoyed,” said Jones. “As much pleasure as I’ve gotten from calling the races, what I’ll always treasure most are the relationships–the friendships–that have been so rewarding over the past 34 years. From fellow staff to the many members of our PTHA to our passionate and supportive racing fans, I’ve had the good fortune to cross paths with an amazing group of people. This track, this job, these people–have been my professional life for a long time and I will miss all of it.”

“The voice of Keith Jones more than any single entity is synonymous with Parx Racing,” said Joe Wilson, Parx Racing’s COO. “He has always called the races with a dignity and professionalism worthy of the sport. It’s hard to imagine someone else calling the Pennsylvania Derby or the Cotillion or even a Tuesday afternoon claiming race.”

The post Parx Announcer Keith Jones Retires appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Announcer Keith Jones Retires After 30 Years With Parx Racing

After more than three decades as the voice of Parx Racing, announcer Keith Jones will be stepping away from the microphone at the end of the year. Since 1987, Jones has been the voice of Philadelphia Park/Parx making him the second longest tenured announcer after Tampa Bay Downs' Richard Grunder.

Jones began his career at Garden State Park before moving permanently to Philadelphia Park.

“I'll be forever grateful to the management at Greenwood for affording me an opportunity to pursue a career doing something I've thoroughly enjoyed,” said Jones.

Among an impressive list of achievements, Jones has called more than 60,000 races and 32 Pennsylvania Derbies. He was behind the mic high above the Philadelphia Park oval when a two-year-old Smarty Jones first flashed the talent that would lead to an improbable Triple Crown run in 2004.

“Smarty Jones' second career race in the Nursery Stakes was one of the greatest performances I've seen of any horse here at this race track,” Jones recalled.

Among other greats to grace the track at Parx, Jones ranks 2016 Cotillion winner Songbird and 2014 Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome as two of the most noteworthy horses he's had the honor to call.

Parx Racing Chief Operating Officer, Joe Wilson has worked with Keith for over thirty years.

“The voice of Keith Jones more than any single entity is synonymous with Parx Racing,” said Wilson. “He has always called the races with a dignity and professionalism worthy of the sport. It's hard to imagine someone else calling the Pennsylvania Derby or the Cotillion or even a Tuesday afternoon claiming race.”

It is the people at Parx Jones says he will relish most as he reflects on his career.

“As much pleasure as I've gotten from calling the races, what I'll always treasure most are the relationships—the friendships—that have been so rewarding over the past 34 years. From fellow staff to the many members of our PTHA to our passionate and supportive racing fans, I've had the good fortune to cross paths with an amazing group of people. This track, this job, these people—have been my professional life for a long time and I will miss all of it.”

Jones will be relocating to Texas with his wife, Kelly. Although he will miss his Parx family, he is enthusiastic about the road ahead.

“There's also a lot of excitement and anticipation about what lies ahead and I say thank you to everyone who has shared the journey with me.”

The post Announcer Keith Jones Retires After 30 Years With Parx Racing appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Flaxseed Oil Boasts Measurable Horse Health Benefits

Supplementing oil to a horse's diet can be done with a variety of oils for a multitude of reasons, but a recent study has found that feeding flaxseed oil to horses is a healthier option than feeding soybean oil.

Common oils fed to horses include soybean, corn, rapeseed, fish and flaxseed. The quality of the fat used is important in equine nutrition. Flaxseed oil is high omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and has a good ratio of omega-6 to omega-3. However, excess intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids may increase the risk of oxidation reactions, which can lead to imbalances and oxidative stress, which can be harmful for the horse.

Drs. Iwona Sembratowicz, Grzegorz Zięba, Ewelina Cholewinska and Anna Czech wanted to test if supplementing a horse's diet with flaxseed oil reduced oxidative stress and positively influenced blood biomarkers.

The scientists used 40 healthy horses in the study: 20 mares and 20 stallions. The horses were divided into two similar groups; they were stalled separately and kept in light work. All horses received hay and oats with a ration balancer in their morning feed. Both sets of horses were orally administered oil via a syringe after their morning meal: The control group received soybean oil and the experimental group received the same amount of flaxseed oil.

After 60 days, blood was drawn before the horses ate breakfast. The study team found that the horses fed flaxseed oil had better lipid profiles, improved blood parameters and better antioxidant mechanisms than those horses that were given soybean oil. The flaxseed also significantly lowered plasma glucose levels and increased antioxidant indices and red blood cell indicators.

The scientists concluded that switching a horse from soybean oil to flaxseed oil was beneficial to its health.

Read the study here.