June, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Celebration Like No Other’: Saratoga To Open At 100 Percent Capacity

With 70 percent of adult New Yorkers now vaccinated against COVID-19, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Tuesday announced the immediate removal of COVID-19 protocols and restrictions for nearly all activities and industries, including outdoor sports and entertainment venues. Accordingly, the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will open all sections at Saratoga Race Course at 100 percent capacity.

The lifting of all COVID-19 protocols, including the requirement for fans to provide vaccination status, applies to all hospitality areas and venues within the facility, including the popular Saratoga backyard, 1863 Club and The Stretch. Season admission passes, which provide access to the backyard, will be available for purchase and use without the prior requirement that fans provide proof of vaccination status.

“As New Yorkers collectively reach this major milestone in the fight against COVID-19, NYRA thanks Governor Cuomo for his leadership in achieving this goal and for the opportunity to welcome fans back to Saratoga this summer,” said NYRA President and CEO Dave O'Rourke. “This season will be a celebration like no other in Saratoga's long and storied history and we are thrilled to open the gates to the best fans in racing in just a few short weeks.”

As announced previously by Gov. Cuomo, all fans who show proof of vaccination via the New York State Excelsior Pass on Opening Day, Thursday, July 15, will receive free Grandstand general admission. Fans from outside New York State may redeem free admission by showing their Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card.

NYRA encourages all fans who have been vaccinated in New York State to download the Excelsior Pass at https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/excelsior-pass.

Non-vaccinated individuals will be required to wear a facial covering during their day at Saratoga Race Course, in accordance with CDC guidance.

NYRA can also today announce the re-opening of the Whitney Viewing Stand at the Oklahoma Training Track. Beginning Saturday, June 26, members of the public will be welcome to view morning training from 7-10 a.m. Prior to the opening of the summer meet on July 15, the Whitney Viewing Stand will be open on Saturdays and Sundays from 7-10 a.m. with access available via Gate 21 on East Avenue.

Licensed owners will no longer be required to show proof of vaccination when entering the Saratoga Race Course property. Beginning June 24, family members and guests will be permitted to accompany licensed owners to view morning training and visit the barn area.

At Belmont Park, the lifting of COVID-19 protocols will allow for the full re-opening of the facility to fans. Beginning Thursday, June 24, walk up general admission will be available for $5 and the backyard picnic tables will once again be available on a first come first served basis.

Season and weekly ticket plans for the 2021 season at Saratoga Race Course are currently on-sale at NYRA.com/Saratoga. Group hospitality reservations are also currently available via email at boxoffice@nyrainc.com or by phone at (844) NYRA-TIX. Tables in the Festival Tent may be reserved via Ticketmaster.com.

Single-day tickets will go on sale Wednesday, June 23 at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster.com.

Single-day dining reservations in the Turf Terrace, The Porch and Club Terrace will be accepted beginning Wednesday, June 30 at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster.com.

The 40-day summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course will feature 76 stakes worth $21.5 million in total purses highlighted by the 152nd renewal of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers on August 28 and the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on August 7, as the anchors of two of the most prestigious racing days in North America.

Following the four-day opening weekend from Thursday, July 15 through Sunday, July 18, racing will be conducted five days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays, with the exception of the final week, when the meet will conclude on Labor Day.

For additional information, visit NYRA.com/Saratoga.

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Op/Ed: Guild Members: You Should Not Be Proud

Perhaps no collection of companies makes decisions based more on hard data, charts, statistics and actuarial tables then those that make up the insurance industry.

Non-smokers get better rates on health insurance.

Middle-aged drivers pay lower premiums than do those a generation or two younger.

Those driving in Los Angeles traffic pay more than those who live in rural areas of the country.

Apply for a term policy and the insurance company can list your premiums for the rest of your life. They know what the statistics show, based on your place of residence, family history, gender, age, health condition, etc.

Interested in long-term health care? Be ready for a question asking if you participate in such activities as bungee jumping, sky diving and/or, my favorite–heli skiing, which for the uninformed is off-trail, downhill skiing or snowboarding reached by helicopter instead of a ski lift.

One thing probably even riskier than heli skiing is being a Thoroughbred jockey. Every time a jockey gets a leg up on a mount, he or she knows the inherent risk involved in the vocation they have chosen.

Imagine being a jockey and speaking with an insurance agent about binding health or long-term coverage.

Which is why for years, members of the Jockeys' Guild have been provided access to policies for life insurance, temporary disability and accident, death and disability.

Yet, as reported by Bill Finley in the June 15 TDN, the Guild recently informed its members currently riding at Monmouth Park they would no longer be covered by the organization's policies.

Monmouth, as has been widely reported, is the first track, because of a directive from its state racing commission, whose jockey colony may carry a whip but not encourage its mounts with the stick.

As Finley noted, Guild management says it believes races at the New Jersey track are more dangerous with the new policy in effect.

“The increase of risk is thereby creating a greater exposure for the Jockeys' Guild and the benefits that we provide to our members who are riding under such regulation,” Guild president and CEO Terry Meyocks said in a letter sent to members.

Frankly, that is a bunch of crap. Bull crap, not horse crap.

The Guild has not seen the policy rates increase, nor has it been informed the rates will go up because of the new rule at Monmouth Park.

The track is only a few weeks into the meeting, as yet with no apparent increased risk to jockeys.

When respected trainer Jerry Hollendorfer was ridiculously singled out in California a few years ago for having a higher incidence of breakdowns, could the Guild have said any jockey who rides the horses he trains (at any track) would not be covered?

According to Meyocks' quote, riding those horses would cause an “increase of risk” and therefore “greater exposure for the Jockeys' Guild.”

Suppose over time we find a greater incidence of accidents in races where Lasix is not allowed. Would the Guild cover a rider should he be injured in an allowance race but not in a graded stakes–at the same track on the same day?

What if New Jersey is just the first state to enact regulations saying riders can carry a crop but not use it except in cases of extreme emergent circumstances?

Jockeys and their agents must constantly decide at which tracks they will accept mounts. Some riders, unhappy with the new policy at Monmouth, have elected not to spend their summer at the track. Others have accepted mounts and ridden without incident.

The Jockeys' Guild may certainly take a hard stance on its belief the riding crop aids riders and keeps them safer. But by playing politics the organization is forcing members riding at Monmouth to either bind their own coverage or ride without it.

Often the Guild steps in to lobby on behalf of members riding at a specific track or in a certain state.

In this case, however, the Guild is turning its back on members that have consciously decided to ply their trade at Monmouth Park.

At the conclusion of the Monmouth meeting, should the Guild's insurance carrier raise its rates based on “evidence” of an increased risk to jockeys, there may be reason for the organization to consider a discussion with its members.

It goes without saying that jockeys require insurance and the Guild's binding of coverage for members is an important, if not the most important, benefit of membership.

But if you are a jockey riding at Monmouth Park, we don't know yet if you are at an increased risk. Well not from the commission's policy. You are, however, from your brethren at the Guild.

Ride they say, but we won't cover your ass. We don't have your back.

If the Jockeys' Guild wants to file injunctions and/or lawsuits, testify before committees, threaten boycotts–go ahead. But pulling the rug out from members at Monmouth Park? Well on the litmus test for class, it doesn't go any lower.

If you are a jockey riding in another state, and a member of the Guild, are you proud of how your organization is treating the Monmouth jocks?

You shouldn't be.

The post Op/Ed: Guild Members: You Should Not Be Proud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Dubawi’s Kemari Wins the Queen’s Vase

Charlie Appleby's 3-year-old males seem to have the edge in the middle-distance and staying department at present, with Kemari (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) the latest to step forward and provide the outfit with its first Royal Ascot winner of 2021 in the G2 Queen's Vase. Stripped of one of its leading players at the start as Ballydoyle's Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was withdrawn after going down in the stalls, this latest renewal of the 14-furlong test nevertheless had enough depth to ensure that the winner would emerge with suitable kudos. Kemari, who was four-lengths second on debut to Thursday's G3 Hampton Court S. protagonist Movin Time (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in a 10-furlong maiden at Newmarket May 13, had earned this tilt when off the mark by six lengths next time over an extended 11 furlongs at Yarmouth May 28. Always travelling easily drafting behind the pace-setting fellow Godolphin runner Law of the Sea (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}), the bay who is gelded and therefore unable to contest the G1 St Leger had the gap heading to the two-furlong pole. Quickly through and into the clear, the 15-2 shot kept finding for William Buick despite drifting left and hit the line with 1 1/2 lengths to spare over the 10-3 favourite Wordsworth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Stowell (GB) (Zoffany {Ire}) came from the rear to be 1 1/4 lengths further back in third.

“I must give the team at home a lot of credit for this–Kemari has been a challenging horse during the winter,” Appleby explained. “He was gelded and had his hood on for his first start, but full credit to them, they have done a great job. William praised Kemari highly after that win at Yarmouth. I have to say, I sat on the fence slightly and felt he was a horse who was progressing, but was he progressing quickly enough to be able to step up into today's league? He has proved me wrong and William right, which is the great thing about having a team such as we have got, we all put our opinions in and hopefully we get the right result. But the horse is definitely a horse who is going the right way.”

Appleby is looking at a potential crack at the Flemington showcase with Kemari and added, “I hope he will make up into a Cup horse for next year. As we all know, in the past few years three-year-olds in the Melbourne Cup have produced the goods. Whether he gets to that level, we will see, but we will enjoy today. We'll have the discussions with our principals and managers during the next few weeks and map the autumn out. He's got a profile that is working in that direction, anyway.”

William Buick added, “I had a nice draw and got a good position out of the gates. The pace took me to where I needed to be and he really quickened up well. It actually surprised me how well he quickened. He is learning on the job and I thought it was a good quality race.”

Kemari is the first of three foals out of Fittocks Stud's G3 St Simon S. scorer Koora (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), who emulated her dam Kithanga (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}) by winning that Newbury contest. Kithanga, who was also third in the G1 Irish St Leger, is best known as the dam of the G1 St Leger hero and sire Milan (GB) (Sadler's Wells) who was also runner-up in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf. His two full-sisters Kahara (GB) and Kibara (GB) both produced smart types, with the former responsible for the G2 German 2000 Guineas winner Karpino (Ger) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and the latter throwing the stakes winner Dubara (GB) also by Dubawi. Another of Kithanga's progeny is the G2 Great Voltigeur S. third Go For Gold (Ire) (Machiavellian), while this is also the family of the G1 Epsom and Irish Derby hero and leading sire Kahyasi (Ire), the G1 Irish St Leger heroine Kastoria (Ire) (Selkirk) and the G1 Yorkshire Oaks winner Key Change (Ire) by Kithanga's sire Darshaan. Koora's unraced 2-year-old is a full-brother to Kemari named Out From Under (GB), while she also has a yearling colt by Galileo (Ire) and a filly foal by Kingman (GB).

Wednesday, Royal Ascot, Britain
QUEEN'S VASE-G2, £200,000, Ascot, 6-16, 3yo, 14f 34yT, 3:04.77, g/f.
1–KEMARI (GB), 126, g, 3, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Koora (GB) (GSW-Eng, $136,783), by Pivotal (GB)
2nd Dam: Kithanga (Ire), by Darshaan (GB)
3rd Dam: Kalata (Ire), by Assert (Ire)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (400,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT). O-Godolphin; B-Fittocks Stud (GB); T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick. £118,400. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $176,134. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Wordsworth (Ire), 126, c, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Chelsea Rose (Ire), by Desert King (Ire). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Barronstown Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £44,780.
3–Stowell (GB), 126, c, 3, Zoffany (Ire)–Marywell (GB), by Selkirk. O-Nat Rothschild; B-Carwell Equities Ltd (GB); T-John & Thady Gosden. £22,380.
Margins: 1HF, 1 1/4, 1. Odds: 7.50, 3.33, 12.00.
Also Ran: Benaud (Ire), Law of The Sea (GB), Taipan (Fr), Arturo Toscanini (Ire), Dancing King (Ire), Ruling (Ger), Pied Piper (GB), Recovery Run (GB), Golden Flame (Ire), Dirham Emirati (Ire). Scratched: Kyprios (Ire), Zinc White (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.

The post Dubawi’s Kemari Wins the Queen’s Vase appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Hank Zeitlin Named Interim Executive Director Of Horseracing Integrity And Safety Authority

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (“the Authority”) board of directors announced Wednesday that Henry “Hank” A. Zeitlin will serve as Interim Executive Director of the Authority through the remainder of 2021. The board reached this decision after interviewing multiple qualified candidates nominated by racing constituencies and interested parties.

The Authority is also in the process of selecting an executive search firm to assist in undertaking a nationwide search for a permanent Executive Director to begin serving next year. Under Zeitlin's leadership, the Authority's anti-doping and medication control and racetrack safety standing committees will begin their work to establish uniform anti-doping, medication control, operational and accountability measures governing all 38 racing jurisdictions in the U.S. These proposed measures will be subject to the oversight and approval of the Federal Trade Commission.

“Hank Zeitlin's extensive background across multiple facets of the racing industry makes him an excellent addition to the Authority as we work toward a better and safer sport for all,” said Board Chair Charles Scheeler. “As we seek to engage both industry and external stakeholders for their insights and expertise on the various components of the racetrack safety and anti-doping and medication control programs, it is clear that Hank is the right fit for the role given his in-depth knowledge of the subject matter.”

Zeitlin currently serves as the executive vice president and a member of the board of directors at Thoroughbred Racing Associations, Inc., the trade association for racetracks in North America. He also serves as president and member of the board of directors of the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau, Inc., which provides integrity services for Thoroughbred racing and wagering. Previously, Zeitlin worked at Equibase for 18 years as Executive Vice President, then President. More recently, Zeitlin served as the chief facilitator for the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's (NTRA) comprehensive update to and expansion of the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance's Code of Standards. His critical role in this effort involved leading three teams of experts in establishing best practices in anti-doping and medication control, racing safety and racetrack surface maintenance.

“I'm looking forward to being a part of this exceedingly important effort to develop industry-wide safety and integrity reforms at a time when those inside and outside the industry are looking for greater transparency, increased accountability and stronger enforcement mechanisms,” said Zeitlin. “We have a lot of work to do ahead of the July 2022 program effective date, but thanks to the excellent efforts of the nominating committee and the strong baseline standards laid out in HISA, we are hitting the ground running.”

“On behalf of the Authority, I'd like to thank Hank Zeitlin for agreeing to take on this role,” said vice chair of the board of directors and former Governor of Kentucky Steve Beshear. “An effort of this magnitude requires experienced and dedicated leadership at every level, starting at the top.”

Further questions and/or interview requests can be submitted to HISAuthorityUS@gmail.com.

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