Month: June 2023

As Air Quality On East Coast Worsens, Here’s HISA’s Policy On Racing/Training Cancellations

Smoke from hundreds of wildfires in eastern Canada has created a haze that's significantly impacting air quality in parts of the Northeast, forcing cancellations and training limitations at some racetracks.

A orange-brown haze descended over the Ohio Valley and the East Coast beginning Monday, with air quality ratings impacts as far south as the Carolinas and as far west as Wisconsin, according to reporting from NBC News.

Finger Lakes cancelled part of its Tuesday card and all of its Wednesday card in response to air quality deterioration. It is not scheduled to resume racing again until Monday, June 12. Delaware Park cancelled Wednesday and Thursday racing due to air quality concerns.

Per the Daily Racing Form, Woodbine has cancelled both afternoon racing and morning training for Thursday, permitting only light work due to air quality issues. The New York Racing Association announced that morning training would be cancelled at Saratoga and Belmont Park for Thursday, with a decision about racing to come Thursday morning. The National Weather Service has issued an air quality alert for an area that includes Elmont, N.Y., which remains in effect until 3 p.m. Thursday and people are being urged to limit strenuous outdoor activity while air quality is poor.

According to the Thoroughbred Daily News, racing went on at Parx Wednesday despite an air quality index rating of 173 at post time which is considered “unhealthy.”

Major League Baseball postponed games that had been scheduled for Wednesday evening in New York and Philadelphia.

 

Many racing fans have asked whether the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has regulations regarding racing and training safety based on weather conditions.

“HISA is working with affected racetracks to provide guidance to ensure the safest possible conditions for racing,” said Mandy Minger, director of communications for the Authority. “HISA does not have a specific rule regarding air quality but HISA's Racetrack Safety rules require racetracks to develop, implement, and annually review hazardous weather protocols. HISA supports the use of the Air Quality Index as published at airnow.gov to guide decisions about training and racing. Air quality can vary significantly between tracks, and the authority to alter training and racing schedules ultimately lies with the individual jurisdiction and racetrack. Horsemen and women are encouraged to take into account the airway health of their teams and the individual horses in their care, even in the absence of modified training and racing schedules. HISA's Director of Equine Safety and Welfare, Dr. Jennifer Durenberger, is available to provide guidance as these air quality decisions are made at the local level.”

The Authority does have a suggested protocol it provides to tracks to help guide decision-making about weather conditions. According to this model protocol, air quality index ratings of 100 to 150 should prompt additional monitoring of equine health. Ratings from 150 to 174 come with a suggestion to potentially “limit training to jogging and/or jogging and gallops only.” Air quality ratings of 175 or higher come with the suggestion to cancel live racing, official works, and limit exercise to jogging.

According to AirNow, air quality index ratings at ranking sites surrounding Belmont Park ranged from 129 to 294 on Wednesday afternoon.

Reporting from The Horse in 2022 indicates that air quality index ratings at and above 150 can have impacts on equine health and veterinarians suggest riding should be limited until smoke clears.

The post As Air Quality On East Coast Worsens, Here’s HISA’s Policy On Racing/Training Cancellations appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Chincoteague ‘Buy-Back’ Foal Up For Auction; Proceeds Used Toward Saving Famed Beebe Ranch

The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company (CVFC) is selling a “Buy-Back” foal on SportHorseAuctions.com to benefit the Chincoteague Museum's ongoing fundraising efforts to save Chincoteague, Virginia's Beebe Ranch, the ancestral home of Misty of Chincoteague and the Beebe family. The proceeds from the winning bid of this Buy-Back foal will go towards the purchase of the famed Beebe Ranch. This Chincoteague Pony is a donation to be turned back to the herd and will remain the property of the CVFC and is tax deductible.

The auction of this pony will be an ONLINE ONLY event. Bidding will open June 9 and run through June 14. The auction will be hosted by SportHorseAuctions.com, owned and managed by longtime Chincoteague auctioneer, Tim Jennings, and his wife, Cathy.

After 100 years, the Beebe family, of Chincoteague, Va., need to sell the ranch. The demands of maintaining the ranch plus the desire to use the funds to help their aging family is certainly a good enough reason to sell. Everyone appreciates all they have done to preserve the remaining 10.3 acres of the ranch. This property is where Misty spent most of her life, and the original home still stands. The Beebe family has reached out to the Museum of Chincoteague in the hopes that the museum could acquire the property and maintain it as the ranch.

First published in 1947, Marguerite Henry's beloved children's novel Misty of Chincoteague has captivated generations of horse lovers. What some may not know is that the novel, while fictional, was inspired by the real-life Beebe family of Chincoteague, Virginia, from whom Marguerite purchased the real Misty from as a weanling. A decade later, Misty returned to the Beebe Ranch to live out the rest of her days, and her descendants still live on the property today. Breyer first introduced a model of Misty in 1972, and her foal Stormy followed shortly after in 1977.

Prospective buyers will need to go to the auction website and create an account. They will then need to request a bidder's number to bid. Please visit the website at SportHorseAuctions.com for more information.

The SportHorseAuctions.com team produces North America's Leading Online Auctions for Horses. The management team pioneered internet auctions for horses and has produced nearly 80 Internet Auctions since 2012 boasting a high seller of $226,000.

Tim and Cathy are the industry's most experienced show horse auction managers. Our team managed more than 380 live horse auctions selling over 80,000 horses since 1978. Tim's previous firm, Professional Auction Services, was the largest show horse auction company in the world, by number of horses sold for 15 years.

Link to the auction page https://internethorseauctions.com/auction.php?aucid=499

Other ways to donate to help Save the Beebe Ranch

Donate on the Chincoteague Museum Website: Specify Save the BEEBE RANCH

Donate on GoFundMe

The post Chincoteague ‘Buy-Back’ Foal Up For Auction; Proceeds Used Toward Saving Famed Beebe Ranch appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Woodbine Oaks Prep: Attard Pair Ready For Fury Stakes Challenge

Kevin Attard trainees Courtly Ro and Fashionably Fab will chase top prize in Saturday's $125,000 Fury Stakes Presented by Stella Artois, at Woodbine.

A key prep on the road to this year's $500,000 Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser (July 23, at Woodbine), the seven-furlong main track Fury, for 3-year-old fillies foaled in Canada, has attracted nine hopefuls.

Courtly Ro, a daughter of Cairo Prince, will make the first start of her sophomore season for owner Raroma Stable.

Bred by Sam-Son Farm, the grey filly went 1-0-1 from four starts in 2022. She broke her maiden in her second outing, a half-length score at seven furlongs on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

She capped off her campaign with a seventh in the Natalma (G1T) on September 17 and a fifth in the 1 1/16-mile main track Princess Elizabeth in October.

“Courtly Ro hooked some tough ones in the last two races of her 2-year-old campaign, but I think they served as important learning experiences for her,” said Attard, who won last year's Fury with eventual Woodbine Oaks and Queen's Plate winner, and Canada's horse of the year, Moira. “We're hoping that she will continue to move forward in her sophomore season.”

Attard is pleased with how Courtly Ro has been prepping for her third straight stakes appearance and second consecutive Tapeta engagement.

“She had a good winter and we've given her a steady work tab getting ready for this race. She's just a nice filly with a great attitude.”

His other hopeful is Terra Racing homebred Fashionably Fab, a daughter of Silent Name (JPN).

After a third in her career bow last September, the dark bay reeled off three straight scores, including a maiden-breaking 11 ¼-length romp in a seven-furlong Tapeta race next time out. She made it two straight trips to the winner's circle after a three-quarter length victory at 6 ½ furlongs on November 3 before a season-ending triumph in the six-furlong main track Shady Well Stakes on December 9.

“One of the first things that comes to mind with Fashionably Fab is the consistency she's shown,” said Attard. “She's a filly that can handle any challenge and doesn't get fazed by something new. I think another impressive thing is her ability to dig in down the lane. Whenever she's engaged by a rival, she steps up and enjoys the challenge.”

Attard, who has posted 685 career wins, is ready to get things rolling with the filly who has earned $124,273 (U.S.) to date.

“She had a really nice winter and we're looking forward to seeing her get things underway for her 3-year-old campaign.”

Dual hall of fame trainer Mark Casse, who will be represented by Elysian Field, Me and My Shadow, and Ticker Tape Home, has won six editions of the Fury, including four consecutive runnings from 2011-14.

The Fury is slated as race nine of 10. First post time is 1:10 p.m. Fans can also watch and wager on all the action through HPIbet and the Dark Horse Bets app.

FIELD FOR THE $125,000 FURY STAKES PRESENTED BY STELLA ARTOIS

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Tito's Calling – Luis Contreras – Ross Armata, Jr.

2 – Speed Trap – Kazushi Kimura – Josie Carroll

3 – Canadian Sweetheart – Eswan Flores – Renico Lafond

4 – Elysian Field – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse

5 – Ticker Tape Home – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

6 – Me and My Shadow – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Mark Casse

7 – Courtly Ro – Ryan Munger – Kevin Attard

8 – Fashionably Fab – Rafael Hernandez – Kevin Attard

9 – Anam Cara – Jose Campos – Sarah Ritchie

The post Woodbine Oaks Prep: Attard Pair Ready For Fury Stakes Challenge appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights