Jockey Gerard Melancon, Lone Star Racing Operations Employee Test Positive For Coronavirus

Following Sunday's announcement that live racing at Lone Star Park had been cancelled, the Daily Racing Form reported that jockey Gerard Melancon, who most recently rode at Lone Star on June 28, has tested positive for the coronavirus. Additionally, a positive test was returned by a racing operations employee at the Grand Prairie, Texas track.

Lone Star abruptly cancelled the race card on Sunday after the first race, making the announcement via Twitter. Race cards for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday have also been cancelled.

“Due to an abundance of caution, all racing operations at Lone Star Park have been suspended due to COVID-19,” read Sunday's Tweet. “Racing will resume at a date to be determined.”

Melancon, normally based in Louisiana, rode Mocito Rojo in the $75,000 Lone Star Mile on June 28, and had a fever when he returned to Opelousas, La. on June 29. He improved and a “rapid test” for the virus on June 30 came back negative, so he arrived at Evangeline Downs to ride the July 1 card. Melancon felt dizzy before the races, however, and went to the ambulance and then the hospital where he was diagnosed with acute pneumonia.

Another test for coronavirus came back positive, and Melancon has quarantined himself at home.

The racing operations employee who tested positive has been instructed to self-quarantine as well.

Because of potential exposure to coronavirus, jockeys and employees working in the licensing and racing offices are being told to quarantine for two weeks. It's unclear when racing may resume, but Lone Star may have an opportunity to extend their meet, which is currently scheduled to end on Aug. 11.

Lone Star was forced to delay the start of its live meet until May 22. On June 10, Lone Star management was notified by officials that spectators would be permitted on-track as Texas became one of the first states to reopen its economy.

After an alarming spike in COVID-19 positive tests throughout Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott on July 2 issued an order requiring face coverings in public and giving local officials authority to limit the size of gatherings.

Indiana Grand announced Monday that no individuals from Lone Star will be allowed on the property until they complete a 14-day quarantine and present a negative test for COVID-19:

“Due to the recent news of several positive tests for Covid-19 at Lone Star Park near Dallas, Texas and the suspension of their racing season indefinitely, Indiana Grand Racing and Casino has halted the transfer of all jockeys, exercise riders and grooms from that facility to the racing program in Indiana.

“The decision to prevent participants coming from Lone Star Park into Indiana is a result of a group effort between Indiana Grand, the horsemen's organizations and Indiana Horse Racing Commission, to provide due diligence for the safety of all those currently racing at Indiana Grand.”

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Juddmonte International Purse Reduced

Prize money for this year’s G1 Juddmonte International S. at York has been cut to £275,000 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year’s Group 1 was worth £1 million but with racing currently taking place behind closed doors after a delayed start to the season, the track’s revenue has taken a serious hit, with the venue underlining “80% of prior year annual revenues for York Racecourse flowed from the presence of a gathering, either on a raceday or as part of our extensive non raceday events programme, none of whom have been permitted at the venue since mid-March.”

The track has hailed the contributions from the Horseracing Betting Levy Board (HBLB) and sponsors with the G1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks, G1 Coolmore Nunthorpe and Sky Bet Ebor all set to carry a purse of £250,000 as other feature races. The G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack, G2 Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup and G2 Sky Bet City of York S. will have £100,000 purses with the Sky Bet-sponsored G2 Great Voltigeur S. and G2 Lowther S. both offering £75,000. The European Breeders’ Fund will back five races, headlined by the £35,000 Listed Sir Henry Cecil Galtres S., and including two of the three new class two handicaps worth £30,000 that have been added to the race programme.

York kicks off its season on Thursday and chairman, Lord Grimthorpe, said, “We are delighted to be back racing at York, albeit initially behind closed doors. Despite challenging circumstances for all, we have tried to put our best foot forward with an incredibly exciting race programme and an investment in prize money well above industry agreed levels. We are hugely appreciative and grateful for the wonderful support of our sponsors, annual badgeholders, partners and all who make York Racecourse so special.

“While we look forward to the day we can welcome the return of spectators and supporters to York Racecourse, in the meantime I hope that people will follow and enjoy the sport on their televisions and mobile devices.”

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Keeneland, UK Athletics Team to Deliver Racing Coverage

Keeneland and University of Kentucky Athletics will broadcast “A Day at Keeneland Presented by Toyota” to help deliver Keeneland’s Summer Meet to the Big Blue Nation. The four-hour program, which airs Saturday from 2 p.m.-6 p.m. EST on the UK Sports Network, will feature continuous coverage of Keeneland’s Saturday card that includes six graded stakes races and the GII Toyota Blue Grass S.

Tom Leach, “The Voice of the Wildcats” and an Eclipse Award winner who serves as a Keeneland racing analyst, will anchor the program live from the Lexington oval.

The program will air on 630 WLAP in Central Kentucky, WLAP.com/listen and WLAP via the iHeartRadio app and also be streamed live on ukathletics.com and the UK Athletics app.

“We are excited about this new venture with UK Sports Network to showcase our biggest day of this unprecedented Summer Meet,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “This radio broadcast enhances the Keeneland at Home experience for our fans who cannot join us at the track, and it celebrates the long connection between Keeneland and the UK Wildcats. We know Big Blue Nation eagerly anticipates the chance to hopefully enjoy more UK football-Keeneland racing doubleheaders this fall.”

“Keeneland is a signature Bluegrass tradition and a shared passion for both UK Athletics and the Big Blue Nation,” Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said. “It’s an honor for us to share in that tradition and to participate in this one-of-a-kind Summer Meet.”

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Enable Exits Eclipse Defeat Well

John Gosden is looking forward to the rest of the campaign with Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) despite the mare suffering the third defeat of her career on her seasonal bow in Sunday’s Coral-Eclipse at Sandown. A third G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe win remains her ultimate target in the autumn and she satisfied her trainer when second to Charlie Appleby’s Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) over a trip short of her optimum. However, Gosden believes Enable could face a tricky task at ParisLongchamp in October should G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas and G1 Investec Oaks winner Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) be in opposition, with the 6-year-old having to concede 7lb to her younger rival.

“She took it well, she had a good blow after the race,” said Gosden. “It’s always a worry when you haven’t run since October and she was coming back as a 6-year-old mare, but I thought her demeanour was wonderful. If you are a stock man and work with animals, you get used to them and I could feel and see that her metabolism had changed as she’s got older. She’s finding it hard to get tight, the race will have helped, but you can’t keep trying to do it at home.”

Looking towards the rest of the season, Gosden told At The Races, “The [July 25G1 ] King George would be the plan. We were lucky the Eclipse was only one day late because of everything, so we’ll look towards the King George, then York [Aug. 20 G1 Yorkshire Oaks] and Paris. I don’t want to over-race her.

“A third Arc would be an extraordinary achievement. This year you’ve got to look at the 3-year-olds. For me there was one outstanding 3-year-old performance in Europe and that was by a certain filly in the Oaks [Love].

“You start taking on a filly like that giving them weight, you’ve got a whole new problem on your hands. I think the Oaks winner would have won the Derby–the only thing that would get in her way was if it turned soft or heavy. She’s the standout 3-year-old.”

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to Enable’s owner-breeder Khalid Abdullah, also expressed his satisfaction with the mare’s performance.

He said, “The expectation on her is enormous–we understand that. We’re really pleased with her and she’s come out of the race well. I think we made it pretty clear she would improve for the run. You’re rather damned if you do and damned if you don’t, as if she’d won easily everyone would have said we’d put people away and then if she’s beaten, people say we’re starting to make excuses already.

“I’m sure if Prince Khalid is happy that [King George] is where she’ll be going next, all being well.”

Gosden enjoyed Classic success at the weekend as Mishriff  (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) put up an excellent display to claim the G1 Prix du Jockey Club.

“He was impressive and quickened up very nicely,” said Gosden. “I think we’ll look to keep him against 3-year-olds as 10 furlongs looks his trip for now and there appears to be some decent older ones around, as we saw at Sandown yesterday. The [Aug. 15] Prix Guillaume d’Ornano which is a Group 2 for which Group 1 winners don’t carry a penalty looks suitable.”

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