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Gulfstream Making Plans For Fans To Attend At 50-Percent Capacity During Championship Meet

Racing fans will be able to attend the Championship Meet at Gulfstream Park, according to the Thoroughbred Daily News. The South Florida track will allow fans at up to 50 percent capacity beginning on Dec. 2; Gulfstream shut down to all spectators in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but owners and invited guests have been allowed to attend the races under strict protocols since June.

“This thing is not going away anytime soon and we will do everything we can to keep people protected,” said Bill Badgett, the executive director of Florida racing operations for The Stronach Group. “The box area will be open and some grandstand seating, with social distancing, will be available. That way we can delegate certain sections and areas that we can control.”

Fan protocols have not yet been finalized, but are likely to include temperature checks and mandatory masks.

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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Sweetontheladies to Pleasant Acres

Black-type winner and multiple graded stakes-placed Sweetontheladies (Twirling Candy–Whataclassybroad, by Yankee Gentleman) will stand at Pleasant Acres Stallions in Florida for the 2021 breeding season with a $2,500 fee, the farm announced Monday. Sweetontheladies placed in five graded events and eight black-type races, finishing his career with earnings of $408,012 in 31 starts.

“Helen and I are excited to have the black-type winning and graded stakes-placed sprinter, Sweetontheladies, join our roster at Pleasant Acres Stallions,” said Joe Barbazon, owner of Pleasant Acres Stallions. “He has retired sound and brings stamina and consistency as a tenacious sprinter on dirt to our stables. Sweetontheladies is the only Twirling Candy stallion in Florida, which gives breeders the opportunity to expand the Candy Ride (Arg) bloodline in our state.”

Originally bought for $25,000 at OBS April, the gray captured the Juvenile Sprint S. at Gulfstream West as a 2-year-old and added Gulfstream’s Crystal River H. the following year. He was third in the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. at Saratoga in 2018, one of four graded placings he earned that year.

The post Sweetontheladies to Pleasant Acres appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Fair Grounds Releases 2020-21 Stakes Schedule

Fifty-one stakes worth a combined $7.055 million will be offered during Fair Grounds’s upcoming 76-day 2020-21 Thoroughbred racing season, which is set to begin Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26, the track announced Monday.

“We are proud to once again continue our growth and support of the Thoroughbred racing industry with our purse allocations and this diverse and dynamic stakes schedule” said Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots president Doug Shipley. “We look forward to our 149th racing season and the continuation of bringing many of the best horsemen and jockeys from around the world to enjoy the high caliber racing at Fair Grounds in New Orleans.”

The Louisiana Derby Day card Mar. 20 will feature eight stakes worth a total of $2.425 million, including the 108th running of the $1-million GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby for 3-year-olds. The third and final local prep on the Road to the GI Kentucky Derby, the race is worth 100-40-20-10 points to the top four finishers. Run at 1 1/16 miles, the 53rd running of the $400,000 GII Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks for 3-year-old fillies offers the same number of points en route to the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks.

The other preps at the New Orleans oval for the Derby will take place Jan. 16 with the GIII Lecomte S. and Feb. 13 with the GII Risen Star S. Louisiana Champions Day will be held Dec. 14, featuring 10 stakes restricted to Louisiana-breds. The purse for the opening day Thanksgiving Classic for older male sprinters has been increased $25,000 to $125,000.

The 2020-2021 Fair Grounds racing season runs through Sunday, Mar. 28. Regular post time will be 1 p.m. CT. The exceptions are Louisiana Derby Preview Day (Feb. 13 at noon CT) and Louisiana Derby Day (Mar. 20 at 11 a.m. CT).

The post Fair Grounds Releases 2020-21 Stakes Schedule appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Florida Thoroughbred History Moments: Needles’ Derby Triumph Sparks Florida’s Thoroughbred Industry

Needles was the first Florida-bred to win the Kentucky Derby in 1956. His milestone led to a flood of tourists to see the champion in the rolling hills of Central Florida.

Visitors found limestone-rich pastures and spring-fed aquifers under moss-draped live oak trees good for growing strong horses, which led to an explosion of farms in the county. More than 750 Thoroughbred farms dot Marion County's landscape today along with more than 38,000 Thoroughbreds.

Needles was inducted into the Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce for his achievement. Four more Thoroughbreds would join him before the national Chamber said, “No more horses, only humans can create an economic impact.” The horse world would disagree to the tune of $2.3 billion annual economic impact, 21,000 jobs and preservation of 195,000 acres in the county thanks to equines.

The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association has launched a digital campaign promoting the successful history of Florida-breds born and raised in the Sunshine State.

The series titled “Florida Thoroughbred History Moment” features an opening and closing image of an old-timey newsreel much like those featured in movie theaters in the 1940s. Along with the sound of the whirr of the newsreel, each video is narrated by the distinctive voice of Hugh Kelly giving an even more nostalgic feel. Based in Florida, Kelly lends his voice perfectly to the series.

Each 'Florida Thoroughbred History Moment' vignette highlights a significant achievement in Florida-bred history focusing on the people, the horses and the farms that have contributed to its success since the industry kicked off in earnest after Needles' 1956 Kentucky Derby win.

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