NYRA Announces Jockey, Owner Protocols For Belmont’s Spring/Summer Meet

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced COVID-19 health and safety protocols for jockeys competing at the 48-day Belmont Park spring/summer meet.

The meet, which features 59 total stakes races worth $16.95 million in total purses, runs Thursday, April 22 through Sunday, July 11.

As has been the case at NYRA since April 1, all jockeys who have been fully vaccinated will not be required to undergo COVID-19 testing in order to compete at Belmont Park. Vaccinated jockeys traveling to ride at Belmont Park, as well as members of the NYRA jockey colony who travel outside of New York State, will continue to be provided isolated jockey quarters at Belmont Park.

According to current Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance, individuals are considered fully vaccinated 14 days or more after receiving the second dose in a two-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), or 14 days or more after they have received a single-dose vaccine (Johnson & Johnson / Janssen). NYRA will adhere to the current CDC guidance regarding COVID-19 vaccination standards.

As has been the case since April 1, all jockeys who have been fully vaccinated to the satisfaction of CDC guidelines will be permitted to enter the Belmont barn area for morning training. Jockeys who have not been fully vaccinated will not be permitted in the barn areas but can continue to meet horses in the Belmont Park paddock and utilize the main track.

NYRA will permit out-of-town jockeys to compete at Belmont Park during the 2021 spring/summer meet. Jockeys who have not been fully vaccinated must provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken in New York State within 48 hours of the day they intend to compete at Belmont Park. Out-of-town jockeys will be provided isolated jockey quarters at Belmont Park.

In accordance with current CDC guidelines, jockeys who have traveled internationally will be required to quarantine for seven days upon their return. Four days after arrival in the United States, the jockey must be tested for COVID-19. Upon receipt of a negative COVID-19 PCR test, and completion of the seven-day quarantine, the jockey may compete at Belmont Park. All jockeys who have traveled internationally will be provided isolated jockey quarters.

In addition to race day safety protocols, which include standard health screening and temperature checks, the jockey quarters at Belmont Park have been substantially altered to provide maximum social distancing and reduce density. All areas accessed by jockeys during the regular course of a race day are closed to outside personnel, including credentialed media, and are cleaned and disinfected throughout the day.

Owners licensed by the New York State Gaming Commission will continue to be permitted to attend live racing on the day their horse is entered to run.

A limited number of licensed owners will be permitted within the barn area at Belmont Park during the 2021 spring/summer meet. In order to secure access to the barn area, owners must provide NYRA with proof of completed vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 5 days of the request. Owners are considered fully vaccinated 14 days or more after receiving the second dose in a two-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), or 14 days or more after they have received a single-dose vaccine (Johnson & Johnson / Janssen).

Owners seeking access to the barn area should contact Zerfana Kahn in the NYRA Racing Office at ZKhan@nyrainc.com or 718.659.2313.

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

Jockey agents who are not fully vaccinated must produce a negative COVID-19 PCR test in order to gain access to the barn area. Races will continue to be drawn via Zoom.

As has been the case since April 1, jockey valets who have been fully vaccinated to the satisfaction of CDC guidelines may continue to enter the barn areas for morning training. In addition, jockey valets who have been working in the barn areas and only saddling horses in the afternoon and have not been fully vaccinated may re-enter the jockey quarters after completing a 10-day quarantine and providing a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 48-hours of their intended return.

The 2021 spring/summer meet at Belmont Park begins with an eight-race program on Thursday. First post is 1:00 p.m. Eastern.

For additional information, and the complete stakes schedule for the 2021 Belmont Park spring/summer meet, visit NYRA.com.

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Breeders’ Cup Delaying 2021 Ticket Sales ‘Until We Have Greater Clarity’

The 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships are scheduled for Nov. 5-6 at Del Mar in Southern California, but CEO Drew Fleming revealed on Monday that the Breeders' Cup is delaying ticket sales for the event, according to Fox 5 San Diego.

“We are working closely with Del Mar, local officials and public health experts to safely plan the 2021 World Championships,” Fleming said. “To ensure we have the most up-to-date safety protocols in place in compliance with CDC guidelines, including the permitted levels of attendance, we are delaying ticket sales for the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships until we have greater clarity on the ever-changing landscape. Rest assured, it is our strong intent to safely host fans at the 2021 World Championships.”

Fans were not allowed at the 2020 World Championships, hosted at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Ky., due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

Read more at Fox 5 San Diego.

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Virtual Learning Allows Belmont Child Care Association To ‘Double Down’ On Its Mission

It has been a full day for school-age children headed home on a recent afternoon from Anna House, the childcare and early-childhood education facility at Belmont Park designed for the families of backstretch workers.

In normal times, these students would be attending class at their local grade schools. But with the help of several grants secured by the Belmont Child Care Association, Inc. (BCCA), which oversees the operation at Anna House, they're part of a new virtual learning program in which grade-school children of backstretch workers are attending school at Anna House by using a combination of remote learning and in-person teaching.

Welcome to one of the feel-good stories of early education in the pandemic era. At a time when many educational institutions continue to face a range of coronavirus-related challenges, Anna House has actually expanded its offerings for the children of backstretch workers like the remote learning class, since its June reopening.

“During this time of education and internet inequality, our virtual learning program allows us to 'double down' on our mission to give these children a great head start and to do so safely,” says Joanne K. Adams, BCCA Executive Director. “BCCA built out its toolkits to offer a state-of-the-art virtual learning program, balanced by in-person teaching, which allows us to support our students who are disproportionately impacted by remote learning.”

The BCCA program places Kindergarten through fifth graders into learning pods of up to 10 students each. Sitting at least six feet apart around the classroom, students use iPads and earphones for the virtual lessons for their core subjects. They receive a hot lunch, as well as in-person one-on-one, after-school tutoring.

The remote learning program was set up in coordination with local school districts. As with all the classes at Anna House, it also utilizes the most up-to-date health guidance and safety protocols established by the New York State Department of Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (C.D.C.) and BCCA's educational consultant, Bright Horizons, to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Anna House has expanded its offerings in other ways as well since reopening on June 22 after being closed for more than three months. Through another grant, pre-school children in daycare are now enrolled in a remote-learning music and arts program. BCCA's Women's Literacy English classes for the mothers of the children attending Anna House, formerly held in-person, are now featured via Zoom.

Since reopening, Anna House has been operating with safety top of mind. To combat the spread of COVID-19, all teachers and staff wear masks. There is strict adherence to social distancing, and rules for dropping off and picking up the children, who are walked in and out of the building each morning and afternoon by a staffer. Lunches come pre-packaged and the children sit apart while eating. The playground is disinfected after each use.

If a lot is different at the building just inside Gate 6 on the spacious grounds at Belmont Park, the look and atmosphere at Anna Hose endures. It remains a bright, airy place, where the children's artwork decorate the walls of the atrium. The school garden, where the children plant flowers, is again flourishing, while the classrooms, as always, offer a warm, welcoming feel.

“The families of these children, the backstretch workers, are the unsung heroes of this pandemic, people who kept working when COVID-19 was at its most extreme in New York,” says BCCA President Libby Imperio. “By innovating to give our best to their children, we're giving to a population that have really dealt with a lot this year. We owe them so much.”

While Anna House was closed because of the pandemic, BCCA staff remained active in helping families on the backstretch. They mounted a drive to collect supplies for the children. Adams also worked with United Way of Long Island through its United Together Response Fund for COVID-19 to distribute donated gift cards, totaling more than $30,000 in value, to all backstretch workers at Belmont Park.

Also, the BCCA hosted its annual fundraiser online during the week-long “Racing for the Children” virtual party in early August during the Saratoga summer meet. The virtual format, which served as a temporary substitute for BCCA's annual dinner, featured video messages from racing personalities, a premium auction and recipes from Saratoga Springs restaurants, among other interactive elements.

All proceeds from the “Racing for the Children” party support the BCCA's mission to care for the children and families of the backstretch as well as the forthcoming Saratoga Child Care Center, now under construction on the Saratoga backstretch near the Rec Center, which is set to debut in 2021.

Adams says the resumption of classes, the continued community programs, and particularly the remote learning program at Anna House, have served to strengthen the bonds with backstretch families during this challenging time.

BCCA Board Chairman and co-founder Michael Dubb said the reopening of Anna House along with its expanded educational offerings are important steps forward for backstretch workers, who kept fulfilling their duties, often at considerable personal risk, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We can't ever repay the backstretch workers for their contributions to our sport, especially during the pandemic,” says Dubb. “What we can continue to do is find new ways of attending to the well-being of their children. Helping their kids makes our industry and sport stronger.”

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Churchill Re-Testing Backside Horsemen, Staff Before Derby; 2.58 Percent Positivity Rate For COVID-19

In advance of Kentucky Derby Week, Churchill Downs Racetrack administered 1,823 tests to its staff, vendors and horsemen from Wednesday, Aug. 19 through Monday, Aug. 24.

Since that time, there have been a total of 47 positive tests from the group for a 2.58% positivity rate.

Testing is on-going at Churchill Downs Racetrack. Any individual that is permitted entrance into the Stable Area will receive a one-time, FDA-approved PCR test. Those who do not pass the test or medical screening will be denied entry onto the premises and asked to isolate and/or quarantine per CDC and Louisville Public Health guidelines.

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