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Jockey Martin Garcia Tests Positive For Coronavirus, Remains Asymptomatic

The Daily Racing Form reported Wednesday that jockey Martin Garcia has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to his agent.

Garcia, who has experienced no symptoms of COVID-19, learned of the results from a routine test administered in preparation for him to ride at Keeneland while he was en route to Indiana Grand to ride a stakes race on the Wednesday evening card.

Agent Jay Fedor told writer Matt Hegarty that Garcia turned around and will return to Kentucky for a state mandated 14-day quarantine period. Fedor said a previous routine test at Churchill Downs was negative.

Over the past month, Garcia has ridden at Churchill Downs, Ellis Park, Indiana Grand, Los Alamitos, and Prairie Meadows.

Churchill Unveils $9.85M Stakes Schedule

A total of 18 stakes events, topped by the Sept. 5 GI Kentucky Derby and Sept. 4 GI Kentucky Oaks are on tap for the 2020 September Meet at Churchill Downs.

The September Meet stakes schedule is led by the revised Kentucky Derby Week, which was moved from April 25-May 2 to Sept. 1-5 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will feature 14 graded stakes, including the GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic and the GI Derby City Distaff, formerly known as the Humana Distaff.

A new addition to the revised Kentucky Derby day stakes schedule is the $200,000 GIII Iroquois presented by Ford, the launch of the Road to the 2021 Kentucky Derby (top 4 points: 10-4-2-1) and a “Win and You’re In Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Division.” The Derby undercard will also feature the GIII Longines Churchill Downs Distaff Turf Mile, the GII Americna Turf S. and GIII Pat Day Mile.

Kentucky Oaks day will feature the GI La Troienne S., the GII Alysheba S., the GII Eight Belles S,, GII Edgewood S. and GII Twin Spires Turf Sprint S.

The GIII Pocahontas S. for juvenile fillies will be held on Thurby, the Thursday before the Derby. It is a 10-point race on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks and is a “Win and You’re In” for the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

The GI Churchill Downs S., which was previously run on Kentucky Derby Day, is tentatively scheduled to be run during the fall meet.

After the Sept. 1-5 Kentucky Derby Week, Churchill Downs will stage its annual nine-day September Meet from Sept. 17-27. The lone stakes event will be the $100,000 Ack Ack for 3-year-olds and up at one mile Sept. 26.

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Kentucky Derby Week Stakes Purses Remain Even; $9.85 Million September Stakes Schedule Announced

A total of 18 stakes events, topped by the 146th runnings of the $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade I) and $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI), are on tap for the 2020 September Meet at Churchill Downs.

The September Meet stakes schedule is led by the revised Kentucky Derby Week, which was moved from April 25-May 2 to Sept. 1-5 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The spectacular week of racing will feature 14 graded stakes, including five Grade I races that will be headlined by the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, Sept. 5 and Kentucky Oaks on Friday, Sept. 4.

Kentucky Derby Day will showcase seven graded stakes races including the Grade I, $1 million Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at 1 1/8 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course for older horses and the Grade I, $500,000 Derby City Distaff (formerly known as the Humana Distaff) for fillies and mares at seven furlongs.

A new addition to the revised Kentucky Derby Day stakes schedule is the $200,000 Iroquois presented by Ford (GIII), the launch of the Road to the 2021 Kentucky Derby (Top 4 points: 10-4-2-1) and a “Win and You're In Breeders' Cup Juvenile Division” race for 2-year-olds that will be run at one-mile. The winner will receive an automatic berth to the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) held on Nov. 6 at Keeneland.

Other stakes on Kentucky Derby Day are the $500,000 Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (GII) for fillies and mares at one-mile on turf; the $500,000 American Turf (GII) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on turf; and the $500,000 Pat Day Mile presented by LG&E and KU (GII) for 3-year-olds at one mile.

Kentucky Oaks Day will feature six graded stakes events which includes the Grade I, $500,000 La Troienne for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles. Other stakes on the program are the $400,000 Alysheba (GII) for 4-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles; the $300,000 Eight Belles presented by Smithfield Foods (GII) for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs; the $300,000 Edgewood presented by Forcht Bank (GII) for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on turf (shortened from its previous 1 1/16 miles on turf); and the $250,000 Twin Spires Turf Sprint presented by Sysco (GII) for 3-year-olds and up at 5 ½ furlongs on turf.

While the Iroquois is set for Kentucky Derby Day, its filly counterpart, the $200,000 Pocahontas (GIII), will be run two days prior on “Thurby.” The one-mile event for 2-year-old fillies kicks off the Road to the 2021 Kentucky Oaks (Top 4 points: 10-4-2-1) and is a “Win and You're In Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Division” contest with the winner receiving an automatic berth to the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) on Nov. 6 at Keeneland.

The Grade I Churchill Downs Stakes, which was previously run on Kentucky Derby Day, is tentatively scheduled to be run during the Fall Meet.

For more information, visit www.churchilldowns.com.

Day/Date	Running	Grade	Purse	Race	Age/Sex	Distance	Surface
Champions Day
Tuesday, Sept. 1	2^nd		$100,000	Champions Day Marathon Overnight Stakes presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance	3&up	1 ½ M	Dirt

Wednesday, Sept. 2	10^th		$150,000	Unbridled Sidney	3&up f/m	5 ½ F	Turf
Thurby *Presented By Old Forester*
Thursday, Sept. 3	52^nd	III	$200,000	Pocahontas	2yo f	1 M	Dirt
Thursday, Sept. 3	15^th		$100,000	Opening Verse Overnight Stakes	3&up	1 M	Turf
Longines Kentucky Oaks Day Six stakes races cumulatively worth $3 million
Friday, Sept. 4	146^th	I	$1,250,000	Longines Kentucky Oaks	3yo f	1 1/8 M	Dirt
Friday, Sept. 4	35^th	I	$500,000	La Troienne	4&up f/m	1 1/16 M	Dirt
Friday, Sept. 4	17^th	II	$400,000	Alysheba	4&up	1 1/16 M	Dirt
Friday, Sept. 4	65^th	II	$300,000	Eight Belles presented by Smithfield Foods	3yo f	7 F	Dirt
Friday, Sept. 4	36^th	II	$300,000	Edgewood presented by Forcht Bank	3yo f	1 M	Turf
Friday, Sept. 4	26^th	II	$250,000	Twin Spires Turf Sprint	3&up	5 ½ F	Turf
Kentucky Derby Day *Presented by Woodford Reserve* Seven stakes races cumulatively worth $6.2 million
Saturday, Sept. 5	146^th	I	$3,000,000	Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve	3yo	1 ¼ M	Dirt
Saturday, Sept. 5	34^th	I	$1,000,000	Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic	4&up	1 1/8 M	Turf
Saturday, Sept. 5	34^th	I	$500,000	Derby City Distaff	4&up f/m	7 F	Dirt
Saturday, Sept. 5	35^th	II	$500,000	Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile	4&up f/m	1 M	Turf
Saturday, Sept. 5	96^th	II	$500,000	Pat Day Mile presented by LG&E and KU	3yo	1 M	Dirt
Saturday, Sept. 5	29^th	II	$500,000	American Turf	3yo	1 1/16 M	Turf
Saturday, Sept. 5	39^th	III	$200,000	Iroquois presented by Ford	2yo	1 M	Dirt

Saturday, Sept. 26	28^th	III	$100,000	Ack Ack	3&up	1 M	Dirt

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$100,000 Claim Necker Island Jumps Into Indiana Derby For New Trainer Chris Hartman

Owners Jackie Rojas, Wayne Scherr and Raymond Daniels put up $100,000 a month ago to claim the Hard Spun colt Necker Island out of an allowance/optional claiming race at Churchill Downs. On Wednesday they'll try to get a big piece, if not all, of their investment back right off the bat when they run their new acquisition in the Grade 3 $300,000 Indiana Derby at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino.

Trainer Chris Hartman said the owners didn't necessarily have the Indiana Derby in mind in claiming Necker Island, who had a trio of fifth places and a fourth in four stakes attempts before owner Sagamore Farm opted to put him in the Churchill race for the $100,000 claiming price instead of the allowance condition, for which he was eligible.

Necker Island finished fourth in the stakes-caliber field that day. Of course, that also made him last. Still, the entire field will run this week in Kentucky Derby qualifying races, including runner-up Shared Sense in the Indiana Derby.

“We didn't really have this race in mind, but we were looking at a few spots,” Hartman said of the claim. “This one looked like it was going to come up to our liking. The gentleman who owns him always wanted to claim a horse like that. I noticed the horse in the (entries), and he said, 'Let's do it.' … He had some previous races that were very competitive. He ran two good races in the fall and then sort of slipped off form a little. But he's been running in really tough races. He ran with some really nice horses, all on the Derby trail. That was part of the allure of going after him for $100,000.”

Hartman claims a lot of horses, but never before for six figures.

“I wasn't nervous a drop, but there was a 'shake' for the horse for $100,000,” he said, referencing the claiming game's version of drawing straws to determine who gets a horse when more than one person drops a claim slip before the race.

“He's doing well,” Hartman said. “He's cleaning up the feed tub and training well. So, we thought we'd take a chance. It appears on paper that he fits in the race.”

As far as the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby, for which the Indiana Derby's winner will earn 20 qualifying points: “I leave that for others to dream,” he said. “I don't know. It would be a great story if it happened that way.”

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