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Limited Number Of Owners Will Be Allowed To Attend Races At Belmont Park

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced Friday that a limited number of licensed owners will be permitted to attend live racing at Belmont Park on the day that their horse is entered to race

To reduce density and adhere to social distancing guidelines, the size of the ownership group will be restricted to 10 individuals per horse.

All owners within the group must be in possession of a valid New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) license. Horses with identical ownership will be limited to 10 total admissions regardless of number of horses running that day.

To align with required health and safety measures implemented in New York to mitigate risk and combat the spread of COVID-19, owners will be subjected to health screening prior to entry, including a temperature check. In addition, owners will be required to practice social distancing and to wear a facial covering at all times while on Belmont Park property.

Owners planning travel to New York from any of the states currently listed on the New York Travel Advisory are subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine. For additional information on the travel advisory, and a complete list of states included, visit https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-travel-advisory.

Owner reservations for race-day admission to Belmont Park should be sent to NYRA's Horsemen's Relations via email at horsemensrelations@nyrainc.com or by phone at 516-488-6008. NYRA will confirm all reservations via email. NYRA cannot consider or accept same day reservations.

The NYRA Office of Horsemen's Relations will begin processing reservations for opening day of the Belmont Park fall meet on Wednesday, September 16 at 10 a.m.

Licensed owners will be permitted within the Belmont Park barn area beginning on Wednesday, September 16. In order to secure access to the barn area, owners must be in possession of a valid NYSGC license and provide NYRA with a negative COVID-19 test.

Owners not previously registered to access the barn area are required to register in advance with racing administrative assistant Zerfana Khan at 718-659-2313 or zkhan@nyrainc.com beginning Wednesday, September 16.

Owners approved to enter the barn area will be required to practice social distancing and to wear a facial covering at all times.

Trainers stabled on NYRA grounds may ship stakes horses to race at facilities outside of New York state. Staff who have traveled with the horse must provide NYRA with a negative COVID-19 test taken upon their return to New York.
Trainers stabled on NYRA grounds may ship horses to run in overnight races at facilities outside of New York state provided that staff does not accompany the horse for the race. The horse may return to NYRA property only if unaccompanied by staff.

Trainers currently stabled off of NYRA grounds [outside of New York state] wishing to run in an overnight race may ship the horse to a trainer stabled at Belmont. Staff cannot accompany the horse into the Belmont barn area. Said trainer will be allowed to saddle the horse in the paddock provided he or she has provided NYRA with a negative COVID-19 test. Trainer is not permitted access to the barn area.

A separate stakes quarantine barn will be established at Barn 16 along with a separate isolated housing cottage for any staff that may accompany horses competing in stakes. A separate training period will be set up for these horses at 10:00 a.m. each day over the Belmont main track so they will train away from the Belmont population.

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Travers Third Max Player Moved To Hall Of Famer Asmussen’s Barn

George Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds' Max Player, third in both the Travers and the Belmont Stakes, has been transferred to the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, according to the Daily Racing Form.

The 3-year-old son of Honor Code had been trained by Linda Rice, who saddled the colt to a record of two wins, a second, a two thirds from five starts for earnings of $373,500. Max Player won the G3 Withers Stakes to kick off his sophomore season, then finished third behind Tiz the Law in both the G1 Belmont and the G1 Travers to earn a total of 60 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Now, Max Player will be vanned from Rice's Belmont base to Asmussen's barn at Churchill Downs on Wednesday.

“I definitely wanted someone with experience and infrastructure at Churchill,” Hall told drf.com. “I wanted someone who could take the horse to Churchill right away and to spend some time with the horse prior to the race and give him his best shot at having a good race at that track.”

Rice Hoping Rosario Keeps Max Player Closer To The Pace In Travers

George Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds' Max Player, whose two-race win streak concluded when third in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes in June, has the chance to return to his winning ways in Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers at Saratoga.

The 151st running of the 1 ¼-mile Mid-Summer Derby will mark just the fifth career start for Max Player, a 3 ¼-length winner of the Grade 3, 1 1/8-mile Withers in his 3-year-old debut on February 1 at Aqueduct.

Trained by Linda Rice, Max Player didn't run back until the Belmont, shortened to 1 1/8 miles in leading off the revamped Triple Crown lineup. The Travers offers 100-40-20-10 qualifying points to the top four finishers for the next leg, the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on September 5.

“I knew from February to June, based on the way he was training, that he was going to take a big step forward. Obviously he needed to,” Rice said at Wednesday's post-position draw. “This time around, I don't know that we're going to see the same progression we did from February to June, but if he takes baby steps that would be good [to] get us to September.”

Max Player will be the second career Travers starter for Rice, the only woman to win a training title at Saratoga. The 2009 meet champion was fourth in the 2014 Travers with Kid Cruz.

Rice opted to keep most of her string downstate this summer at Belmont, where Max Player has done the bulk of his training. He arrived in Saratoga Wednesday afternoon and went to the track Thursday and Friday.

“He's trained fine. I've been training at Belmont, not at Saratoga, which is a little unusual,” Rice said. “Coming into the Belmont he was off a 5 ½-month break, so I trained him pretty aggressively. Coming into this race, I backed off him a little bit, [with] a little bit more maintenance breezes. We weren't quite as aggressive with him, but I think he's ready.”

Joel Rosario, aboard for the first time in the Belmont, rides back from post 4 in a field of eight led by even-money program favorite Tiz the Law, the 3 ¾-length winner of the Belmont considered the top 3-year-old in training.

“I'm OK with post 4. I'd rather try to save a little ground in the first turn, on both turns, and not get caught too far outside,” Rice said. “Joel, this will be the second time that he's ridden the horse. It was a learning curve last time. He watched his previous races, he saw that the horse doesn't run into kickback very well, so I think based on the learning curve he was a little too far back [in the Belmont], had a little too much to do. I'd like to think that Joel will work a little more aggressively to keep him closer.”

The late-running Max Player will be stretching out to 10 furlongs for the first time. He has never been worse than third in any of his four starts, winning a one-mile maiden special weight last December at Parx in his juvenile finale, and Rice is hoping to see an honest pace for her closer.

“Racing's funny,” Rice said. “Sometimes when they run shorter distances they go faster early and you have a better chance to close with a horse like him that has a strong closing kick, so on occasion it works against you.”

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‘Level-Headed’ Max Player Puts In Final Work For Saturday’s Travers

George E. Hall and SportsBLX Thoroughbreds Corp.'s Max Player worked five furlongs in 1:01.55 seconds Monday on the Belmont dirt training track in preparation for Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers at Saratoga Race Course.

Trainer Linda Rice said the dark bay Honor Code colt is in good order and will ship up to Saratoga on Wednesday.

“We worked him in company head and head with another horse and they went five-eighths in 1:01.2. It was just a maintenance breeze,” said Rice. “It was just a nice comfortable breeze. I feel it was exactly what he needed. He'll ship up to Saratoga on Wednesday and train there.”

Max Player, bred in Kentucky by K & G Stables, graduated at second asking at Parx in December and followed up with a 3 ¼-length score in the Grade 3 Withers at Aqueduct Racetrack on February 1.

Last out, racing off a more than four-month layoff in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on June 20, Max Player rallied to complete the trifecta behind the victorious Tiz the Law and runner-up Dr Post.

This morning's breeze was the fifth over the Belmont dirt training track since his Belmont effort for the improving Max Player.

“He trained very well into the Belmont and had improved dramatically up to June when the Belmont ran,” said Rice. “Since then, we've been holding steady. I haven't trained him quite as aggressively because he's not coming off of a five-month layoff this time.”

Although Max Player won't have the chance to breeze over the Saratoga main track ahead of the Runhappy Travers, he will gallop here later in the week. Rice said she is confident the dark bay will handle the surface.

“He shipped to Parx and ran well. He shipped to Aqueduct and won the Withers on February 1st and had never trained at Aqueduct, he just shipped over from Belmont,” said Rice. “I'm not concerned. He's a pretty level-headed horse and he's easy to train in that respect.”

Joel Rosario, currently second in the Saratoga jockey standings, retains the mount.

Trainer Orlando Noda, who operates Noda Brothers with his brother Jonathan, confirmed Monday that jockey David Cohen would pick up the mount on maiden winner First Line for Saturday's Grade 1 Runhappy Travers.

First Line, a First Samurai chestnut, earned an 84 Beyer when graduating at fourth asking July 29 in a nine-furlong maiden route at the Spa.

Cohen guided 33-1 shot Golden Ticket to a dramatic dead-heat win with Alpha in the 2012 Travers. Noda said the veteran rider would gallop First Line on the Saratoga main track on Tuesday.

“I think he'll give us a good, honest ride,” said Noda. “He'll get on him tomorrow and gallop on the main track and get a feel for the horse.

“It doesn't happen very often to have a horse peak at the right time,” added Noda. “But everything happens for a reason and I think he'll outrun his odds.”

Trainer Mike Stidham said Godolphin homebred Mystic Guide, a closing third last out in the Grade 3 Peter Pan on Opening Day at Saratoga, would take a pass on the Runhappy Travers and point instead to the Grade 2, $150,000 Jim Dandy, a nine-furlong test for sophomores on September 5.

“We're not going to run in the Travers, we're going to hold off and probably run in the Jim Dandy,” said Stidham. “We've been conservative with the horse up to this point and we'll stay conservative for now.”

The field for Saturday's Runhappy Travers currently stands at eight and includes, Caracaro [Gustavo Delgado/Javier Castellano], Country Grammer [Chad Brown/Irad Ortiz, Jr.], First Line [Orlando Noda/David Cohen], Max Player [Linda Rice/Joel Rosario], Shivaree [Ralph Nicks/Junior Alvarado], South Bend [Bill Mott/Jose Ortiz], Tiz the Law [Barclay Tagg/Manny Franco], and Uncle Chuck [Bob Baffert/Luis Saez].

The “Mid-Summer Derby” to be contested at 1 1/4 miles for the country's most talented 3-year-olds is one of three Grade 1s on Saturday, joining the $300,000 Ballerina presented by NYRA Bets for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going seven furlongs in a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

The day will also see sophomore fillies compete in the prestigious Grade 1, $300,000 Longines Test at seven furlongs, with the card bolstered by the Grade 3, $200,000 Troy, a 5 ½-furlong turf sprint for older males, and the Grade 3, $150,000 Waya , a 1 ½-mile turf route for older fillies and mares.

The card will be broadcast on Saratoga Live on FOX Sports and MSG Networks.

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