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Restrictions Tighten In Wales, Scotland

The Welsh Grand National on Dec. 27 and Musselburgh's New Year's Day meeting will be held behind closed doors after the Welsh and Scottish governments tightened restrictions in response to the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant. All sporting events in Wales from Boxing Day will be staged behind closed doors, while in Scotland outdoor sporting events are limited to 500 people.

“We've had up to 12,000 people for the Welsh National meeting in recent years, an average of around 10,000,” said Chepstow's Executive Director Phil Bell. “Hospitality had been sold out for about a month. Most of the racecourse was ready to go. We've been having marquees erected for the last three weeks plus all the portable toilets, outside bars and food outlets. It's been a month's worth of hard work in terms of putting the site ready which is now going to go to waste.

“The one thing about the financial impact is we are talking to the Welsh Government about a compensation package. We've been asked to supply our cost and revenue losses to them and that's going into the mix for a decision.”

Musselburgh General Manager Bill Farnsworth said, “It is very unfortunate as this is one of our best and biggest racedays and one of our most popular, attended by a sell-out crowd. However, we all must play our part in keeping people safe and in light of the latest government guidance on the Omicron variant, we feel the responsible decision is to make this a 'BCD' event with only annual members, horse owners, trainers and staff in attendance.

“On a positive note, we hope that the restrictions will break the spread of the Omicron variant so that we can look forward to the Scottish Festival Trials Weekend on Feb. 5 and 6. All ticket holders for the cancelled racedays on Jan. 1 and 3 will be able to transfer to future race days or will receive a full refund. Racecourse staff will endeavour to process all transfers and refunds as quickly as possible.”

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‘Deeply Embarrassed’: Champion Jockey Oisin Murphy Relinquishes His License To Focus On Rehabilitation

Crowned Britain's Champion Jockey for a third straight year in October and winner of the Breeders' Cup Distaff aboard longshot Marche Lorraine in November, Oisin Murphy announced Thursday his decision to relinquish his racing license in order to focus on his rehabilitation, according to a statement released by the British Horseracing Authority. In 2021, a pair of racecourse incidents related to alcohol caused Murphy to be taken off his mounts for the day, and in 2020 a positive test for cocaine (blamed on a sex partner) saw the jockey handed a three-month ban.

“It became obvious to me and to everyone else that I needed to seek serious help,” Murphy's statement reads. “In recognition of this I have relinquished my license and will now focus on my rehabilitation.

“Whether I deserve it or not, many kind people have stood by me and I really appreciate their support. I'm deeply embarrassed and regret my actions.”

The BHA's statement also details a breach of coronavirus protocols in September of 2020, resulting in the following alleged charges:

Breaches of Rule (J)24.6 of the Rules of Racing for misleading or attempting to mislead the BHA regarding his true location between 9 and 12 September;
Breaches of Rules (J)24.4 and (J)24.6 for accessing the racecourse in breach of the COVID-19 Requirements;
Breaches of Rule (J)19 for acting in a manner prejudicial to the proper conduct and good reputation of horseracing.

A hearing in front of an independent Disciplinary Panel to consider these charges was arranged for Friday, Dec. 10, but prior to the hearing the BHA received submissions from Murphy's legal team regarding his welfare, which were supported by medical evidence, and stated that Murphy had made a decision to relinquish his Flat Jockeys License whilst he engages fully with medical support.

Bearing these submissions in mind, it was agreed with Murphy's representatives that the proposed hearing would be postponed to take place at a later date, when it is deemed appropriate considering the welfare of Murphy.

These matters will also be heard at the same time as two cases regarding positive tests for alcohol returned from racecourses in 2021 by Murphy, as follows:

Breach of Rule (K)55 due to the presence of alcohol in urine sample exceeding permitted threshold at Chester racecourse on May 5, 2021.
Breach of Rule (K)55 due to presence of alcohol in breath samples exceeding permitted threshold at Newmarket on Oct. 8, 2021.

Tim Naylor, BHA Director of Integrity and Regulation, said:

“In regulating the sport we must always strike the balance between the importance of upholding the rules, and being mindful of the wellbeing of those who we regulate. The welfare of our participants is an absolute priority.

“Having received detailed submissions from his representatives, which were supported by medical evidence, and being aware of the decision made by Mr Murphy to relinquish his jockeys license, we agreed that the proposed disciplinary hearing may be postponed for a short period of time.

“The charges will be considered in front of an independent Disciplinary Panel we anticipate in the early part of 2022. We will support his medical team in the meantime.”

Mr Murphy has asked that the following statement be relayed on his behalf:

“On returning from abroad last September in 2020 I failed to follow the Covid protocol set out by the BHA. In breaking these rules, and attempting to mislead the BHA, I've let my governing body down, along with trainers, owners, staff, sponsors and family for which I wish to apologize.

“In addition to this there have been two racecourse incidents linked to alcohol during 2021. It became obvious to me and to everyone else that I needed to seek serious help. In recognition of this I have relinquished my license and will now focus on my rehabilitation. I am grateful to the BHA for agreeing to postpone the disciplinary hearing until I have been able to take these steps.

“Whether I deserve it or not, many kind people have stood by me and I really appreciate their support . I'm deeply embarrassed and regret my actions.”

The BHA and Murphy will not make any further comment on this matter, which remains an ongoing disciplinary process, until a hearing date is set.

The post ‘Deeply Embarrassed’: Champion Jockey Oisin Murphy Relinquishes His License To Focus On Rehabilitation appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Handle Up Again, Purses Way Up in November

Betting on U.S. Thoroughbred races was up again year over year in November 2021, while the industry saw a major spike in purses for the month, according to figures released by Equibase Monday. The numbers continue the positive economic trends the sport has seen this year as it continues to emerge from the toll taken by the pandemic.

A total of $961,813,331 was wagered on U.S. races in November, up 7.4% from the November 2020 figure of $895,546,532. The November 2021 number is more flat when compared with November 2019, when $945,843,009 was wagered, but total handle for 2021 has now surpassed $11.4 billion, which is a jump of 12.18% over the total through November in 2020 and a 10.49% improvement on the number from the end of November in 2019. Wagering on U.S. races is likely to top $12 billion by the end of the year, a total that hasn't been reached since 2009, according to statistics from The Jockey Club.

If there is a small caveat to the positive handle numbers, it is that wagering per race day was down significantly in November at $3,305,200, a 17.33% decrease from $3,997,976 in November 2020, and for the year average wagering per race day stands at $2,986,058, a drop of 9.78% from $3,309,845 at this point in 2020. Compared to 2019, however, the 2021 numbers are still a drastic improvement, with the November figure representing a 12.04% jump and the year-to-date number showing a 20.67% increase.

Purses have also seen a dramatic improvement in 2021, although those figures are more of a reversion to the mean of 2019 as opposed to meaningful improvements on pre-pandemic levels. A total of $117,678,625 was paid out this November, a 27.78% improvement on the November 2020 number of $92,095,830, but just a 1.66% increase from the November 2019 total of $115,756,315. For the year, purses have totaled just over $1.1 billion, a huge 36.17% increase from the pandemic-affected number of $812,236,796 through November in 2020, but the 2021 number is essentially flat compared to 2019's purse figures through November.

Field size continues to be a bugaboo for the industry, as average number of horses per race was 7.7 in November, a drop of 7.79% from 8.35 in November 2020, and for the year the number is just 7.33, a 7.34% decrease from 7.91 in 2020. Field size averaged 8 and 7.49 for the month and year, respectively, at this point in 2019.

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Registration Open For ITM Irish Stallion Trail

The 2022 Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Irish Stallion Trail, which includes over 25 participating farms, will last from Jan. 14-15, 2022 and registration for the event is now open. Free to attend, visitors are asked to register for which studs they intend to visit via the ITM website. Due to high demand, it is mandatory to register for a specific date and time slot in order to visit Coolmore Stud. Please note that the dates and format of the Irish Stallion Trail may change due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, visitors are asked to comply with a COVID-19 code of conduct developed by Horse Racing Ireland Health and Safety, wear masks, sanitise hands, and observe social distancing when visiting farms. There will also be no indoor element to the Irish Stallion Trail, so visitors should dress appropriately.

The post Registration Open For ITM Irish Stallion Trail appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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