Qatar Goodwood Festival Features’ Prize Money Returned to 2019 Levels

The Qatar Goodwood Festival, slated for July 27-31, will boast an increase in prize money for its three feature races, the racecourse announced on Tuesday. The G1 Qatar Sussex S. will once again be worth £1 million, while the G1 Qatar Goodwood Cup has total prize money of £500,000. Rounding out the three Group 1s with increased prize money is the G1 Qatar Nassau S., which will be worth £600,000. Overall, the five-day festival will offer over £4.8 million in prize money in July. In 2020, purses were reduced due to COVID-19. Goodwood's ts flagship meeting will be one of the first major racing festivals to welcome back significant numbers of racegoers, as the UK Government continues to loosen restrictions.

Adam Waterworth, Events Managing Director at The Goodwood Group, added, “Prize money is incredibly important for our owners whose commitment and support we value tremendously. They are vital to the livelihood of the sport, and we're delighted to be able to return our feature races to the levels we ran them in 2019.

“The last 12 months have been extremely challenging for the business as a whole with severe financial hardships. However, despite revenues remaining challenging in 2020, and the uncertainty around crowd numbers at some of our fixtures, investment in prize money has always been a priority for Goodwood, and we accept our role in trying to ensure the higher rated horses remain in training in this country, whilst also striving to attract some of the best thoroughbreds from further afield.

“We are incredibly grateful to our official title partner, the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club, without whose support we would not have been able to offer these levels of prize money, and our other sponsors, broadcast, and betting media partners.

“Goodwood is very much looking forward getting racing underway this season. We will be welcoming limited spectators to the racecourse across May and June, when admission is likely to be limited to members, although hospitality experiences will be open to all.

“Ticket sales have been phenomenal for the Qatar Goodwood Festival. It's one of the best on sales we have known, and all being well, we anticipate hosting racegoers at pre-pandemic capacities come the end of July.”

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With Ontario Extending Stay-at-Home Order, Woodbine Opening Up in the Air

The Ontario government announced earlier this week that a province-wide COVID-19-related lockdown has been extended to at least May 20, dashing hopes that Woodbine will be able to open for business any time soon. The meet was supposed to begin Apr. 17.

“There is a crisis right now in the Toronto area and we're right in the middle of it,” said Woodbine CEO Jim Lawson. “They are running out of intensive care beds and the numbers are not going down. The good news is that more vaccines are coming in May, which will help a lot. People keep asking me when we are going to open, and I tell them to remain optimistic, but people are getting tired of Jim Lawson telling them he is hopeful.”

On Friday, health officials in Ontario reported more than 4,500 new COVID-19 cases and another 34 deaths linked to the disease.

Though he is hoping the track will be permitted to operate after May 20, Lawson says he cannot be certain that Woodbine will be allowed to race on that date. If the COVID situation does not improve in Ontario, the lockdown could be extended again. Another possibility is that the lockdown will be lifted but the Toronto area will fall into the “gray zone” category, under which racing is still not permitted. The Woodbine meet was cut short last year, ending on Nov. 26 when Toronto was declared a gray zone area.

“If the province comes out of the stay-at-home order and goes back to the same restrictions we had previously, then horse racing would not be permitted,” Lawson said. “Gray is the most stringent color code. When they go back to the color-coded system, Toronto would likely fall into the gray zone, and that would be a problem for Woodbine Thoroughbreds.”

Since the track closed early last year, Lawson has been pleading Woodbine's case, arguing that it is hypocritical to allow the NHL, where the games are played indoors, to operate while horse racing, an outdoor sport, is not allowed. Lawson said he has had talks with the local health department and representatives of the province, but has not been given the answers he was looking for.

“I'm banging my head against the wall,” Lawson said.

After there was just one case of COVID-19 all last year at Woodbine, a recent outbreak has occurred on the backstretch. Woodbine confirmed last week that 15 people working in the stabling area have tested positive for COVID-19.

With so much uncertainty surrounding the meet, the fear is that a large number of horses will leave Woodbine in order to race in the U.S. and may not come back. Another concern is that trainers who had been planning to race at Woodbine will instead stay home. Lawson said that Graham Motion was planning to have a string at the track this year, but has informed the racing department that because of the shutdown he will not be coming.

Woodbine's leading trainer, Mark Casse, has shipped some horses to Woodbine, but fewer than he normally would have at this point.

“We have about 35, 40 horses there and normally we would have about 75,” Casse said. “We have stopped sending  horses up. There's been talk of maybe pulling some more horses out of there, which we probably will do. I could see us possibly sending a few to New York, but with a lot of the horses I have [at Woodbine], it's because they are Canadian-bred or owned.”

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York Feature Races’ Prize Money Returned to Pre-COVID Levels

A trio of Group 1 races at the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival on Aug.18-21 and the G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante S. on May 13 have all had their prize money boosted to pre-COVID levels, the racecourse announced on Wednesday. The G1 Juddmonte International on Aug. 18, rated the Longines World's Best Horse Race in 2020, will once again be worth £1 million, while the Aug. 19 G1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks will be run for £400,000. The purse of the G1 Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe S. will also be £400,000, and the Dante with be worth £165,000.

Commenting on the news, William Derby, Chief Executive and Clerk of the Course said, “York Racecourse is proud of its record of investing in prize money to help sustain the wider racing industry and to attract the best horses to the Knavesmire. This is a time when that strategy needed to be confirmed and we are pleased to be able to commit to returning these four feature contests to their pre Covid levels. The seven-figure investment in the Juddmonte International reflects its status as the Longines World's Best Race. Clearly, the world is still in a difficult place and we will hugely miss the presence of spectators at the Dante Festival 2021.

“However, we wanted to make a positive announcement that reflects what York believes is in the shared best interest of the sport that everyone involved with the Knavesmire loves. The backing of our sponsors and supporters is deeply appreciated. We are excited about the prospect of some fantastic racing in May and the return of owners at the Dante Festival. Thereafter, we very much look forward to the return of spectators to York as the summer unfolds.”

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Well-Being Survey Launched By British Racing

Wellbeing across the Horseracing Industry, a comprehensive survey to help inform a strategy dedicated to the welfare of the British Racing workforce, was launched on Tuesday.

The survey, which runs through May 16, is open to everyone working across the Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry. Every individual who completes the survey, will receive a personalised well-being report to help improve how they feel, live and work. A Wellbeing Committee was also created, comprising a significant range of expertise across its membership, as well as a dedication towards improving further the overall health of the sport and its employees. The Wellbeing Committee consists of the following:

 

  • Simon Jones, Chair
  • Linda Bowles, HR Director and charity trustee
  • Kay Boyden, Director of Programmes, Racing Welfare
  • Lisa Hancock, Chief Executive, Injured Jockeys Fund
  • Jerry Hill, BHA Chief Medical Adviser
  • Will McConn, Sports Psychologist and joint author of the 2019 review and recommendations on mental health support in British Racing
  • Rishi Persad, Horseracing and sports broadcaster
  • Simone Sear, Director of Welfare, Racing Welfare

The committee, which will report to the People Board chaired by BHA Director Laura Whyte, will lead an industry-wide programme of work that brings together all the organisations that deliver support to the workforce, with well-being prioritised. A well-being strategy was identified as a priority within British Racing's COVID-19 recover plan published last summer. There will also be dedicated well-being workshops for leaders across British Racing and the completion of a comprehensive gap analysis of provision across key stakeholder bodies, are among priorities that have been delivered early in 2021.The Racing Foundation has provided funding support in this crucial area to date, which builds on their support of the groundbreaking 2019 report, 'A lifestyle rather than a job': a review and recommendations on mental health support within British Racing.

Wellbeing Committee Chair Simon Jones said, “I'm delighted to have been asked to Chair British Racing's Wellbeing Committee. In establishing this Committee, the BHA and the sport, working with the full range of stakeholders, has given the highest priority possible to a programme of work that puts the wellbeing of our workforce at the top of our sports agenda.

“The industry's Wellbeing Committee will oversee the delivery of excellence in wellbeing, development and pastoral support of our people, and contribute to the continued improvement in the health of our sport.”

BHA Chief Executive Julie Harrington added, “Staff wellbeing, across the full breadth of British racing, is a priority for decision-makers in our sport and will be critical to our recovery from the pandemic, and our growth in the future.

“I wish to thank Simon and his fellow Wellbeing Committee members for their commitment to this crucial area, which will be matched at the BHA as plans and policies are developed. This is a big opportunity for all employees, in every area of our sport, to have their voices heard, and I encourage everyone to complete the survey.”

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