Belmont Park Redevelopment Proceeds To Demolition Phase

Expected to require four to six months of work, on Friday, Apr. 5 the New York Racing Association, Inc. will embark on the initial stages of the demolition of the current Belmont Park grandstand and clubhouse, the track said in a release Thursday.

To bring down a 1.25 million square foot building will require a host of engineers and experts tasked with deliberately removing usable materials from a building that opened to the public in 1968. A total of 75 percent of the materials will be recycled including concrete, steel, copper and aluminum. NYRA will be processing this material onsite, which will significantly reduce truck traffic and emissions.

Over the last year, NYRA has preserved and stored Belmont's extensive collection of racing artwork, as well as some of its best-known artifacts, such as the track's wrought-iron gates. The Japanese White Pine in the paddock will be surveyed and protected to the greatest extent possible throughout the demolition and construction phases.

Additionally, John Skeaping's bronze statue of Secretariat has been transported to Saratoga Race Course where it will be placed in a public area adjacent to the Walk of Fame through the duration of the project downstate.

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Catching Freedom, Tarifa Work At Churchill Downs For Cox

Albaugh Family Stable's GII TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby winner Catching Freedom (Constitution) began his preparations for the GI Kentucky Derby with a half-mile move in :48.40 early Friday morning at Churchill Downs, the track said in a release.

Trained by Brad Cox, the 3-year-old worked at 5:30 a.m. ET with exercise rider Edvin Vargas in the saddle. The duo cruised through an opening quarter-mile in :24 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:01.20.

“He's settled in nicely since we shipped him back to Churchill from Fair Grounds,” Cox said. “He was impressive closing from that far back in the Louisiana Derby and I think the longer stretch at Churchill plus the mile-and-a-quarter should only help him in the Derby.”

About two hours after Catching Freedom completed his work, stablemate and 'TDN Rising Star' Tarifa (Bernardini)–winner of the GII Fair Grounds Oaks–began her preparations for the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks with a half-mile breeze in :49.20.

As of Friday, three other Derby contenders were on the grounds at Churchill Downs: Endlessly (Oscar Performance), Honor Marie (Honor Code) and Track Phantom (Quality Road).

Endlessly is slated to work Saturday while Honor Marie and Track Phantom have scheduled works on Sunday.

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Naas Racecourse Manager Eamonn McEvoy To Join Tattersalls Ireland 

Eamonn McEvoy, who has been at the helm of Nass racecourse for almost five years, will join Tattersalls Ireland as bloodstock sales director. Prior to his tenure at Naas, McEvoy served as racing and stud manager for Rick Barnes of Grangecon Stud for eight years.

Additionally, he has worked at stud farms in England, the USA and Australia, as well as Saudi Arabia, where he worked as assistant manager under the late Michael Buckley at HH Prince Sultan Al Kabeer's racing and breeding operation, playing a pivotal role in the development of a new racetrack for Prince Sultan.

Commenting on the new appointment, Simon Kerins, CEO of Tattersalls Ireland said, “We are delighted to appoint Eamonn as bloodstock sales director of Tattersalls Ireland. Eamonn's extensive leadership experience and proven ability to drive change and improvement within the industry make him an invaluable addition to our team.

“Having regularly dealt with Eamonn while he was racing and stud manager at Grangecon Stud I can lay testament to his professionalism and knowledge. He is also extremely well regarded throughout the industry and on behalf of all the team at Tattersalls Ireland, we welcome Eamonn to his new role and look forward to working with him.”

McEvoy, who will commence his new position in early May, added, “I am honoured to be joining Tattersalls Ireland, especially at such an important time of the year with the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale and the Store Sales fast approaching. The company has a proud history with a diverse calendar of sales which continue to go from strength to strength and I'm looking forward to working alongside the well-respected teams at Fairyhouse and Newmarket. I've enjoyed a fantastic time at Naas Racecourse and would like to express my gratitude to the board and team there and wish them continued success going forward.”

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