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Jockey Brian Hernandez Cleared To Resume Riding Thursday At Churchill

Just after hearing that his Kentucky Derby mount, Art Collector, wouldn't be entered in the race due to a minor foot injury, jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. found out that he had tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. He was subsequently taken off all mounts at Churchill on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The 34-year-old rider then took an antibody test on Tuesday, which was also positive.

According to the Daily Racing Form, Hernandez consulted with both local health officials and Churchill representatives, and eventually it was decided to allow him to resume riding on Thursday, “on the basis that he is not an infectious danger to others.”

Real Rider Cup Goes Virtual

The 2020 edition of The Real Rider Cup–an annual competition designed to showcase off-the-track Thoroughbreds and raise funding FOR the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP), New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program and The Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show–is going virtual this year. The champion will be crowned Oct. 24.

This fundraiser invites individuals working in various parts of the racing industry to compete against each other on a Thoroughbred over a show jumping course wearing the silks of one of their sponsors. Each competitor pledges to raise a minimum of $1,000, which goes directly to the aforementioned beneficiares.

Each rider will submit a video of themselves navigating a pre-determined course of jumps aboard an off-track Thoroughbred and the public will be invited to choose their favorite rounds. There will be no competitor limit.

“This year has been strange and unsettling,” says event organizer Anita Motion. “Our hope is that we can encourage as many people as possible to get involved, raise much-needed funds for our benefactors and have lots of fun while we do it. We can’t wait to start ramping up the competition and seeing how creative competitors can be to attract votes and donations.”

In addition, there will be calendars available for purchase featuring stunning Thoroughbred artwork or bid to bring home the 18 original pieces donated by the artists in an online auction.

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Brian Hernandez Tests Positive For Coronavirus, Off Tuesday Mounts At Churchill Downs

Jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. has tested positive for the coronavirus, as first reported by the Daily Racing Form. He had been scheduled to ride Art Collector in Saturday's Kentucky Derby, but the colt was removed from consideration Tuesday morning due to a minor hoof injury.

Hernandez and the other riders were tested for COVID-19 Monday. Hernandez said in a text to Kentucky Derby pool reporter Jennie Rees that he tested positive for the coronavirus but that he also tested positive for the antibodies, “which means I am no longer contagious.”

Hernandez was named on four mounts at Churchill Downs on Tuesday, but he has taken off and is awaiting further updates on what the positive test menas.

“Now we are waiting for Churchill and the health department to tell us when we can go back to riding,” Hernandez said.

The news that he'd tested positive came to Hernandez even as there were issues whether his scheduled Kentucky Derby mount, Art Collector, would run after Bruce Lunsford's colt nicked his left front heel in a routine gallop Monday morning. The final decision to withdrawal Art Collector from the Kentucky Derby was made Tuesday morning after the colt continued to show tenderness in the heel.

Hernandez last rode at Ellis Park on Aug. 29, and is named to ride three graded stakes mounts on Thursday and Friday's cards.

The post Brian Hernandez Tests Positive For Coronavirus, Off Tuesday Mounts At Churchill Downs appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Ryan Moore Called Up for Irish Champions Weekend

Ryan Moore, who rides first call for Ballydoyle trainer Aidan O’Brien, has entered quarantine in Ireland as of last Saturday and will be riding in Ireland at Irish Champions Weekend on Sept. 12-13. These will be Moore’s first rides in Ireland in 2020, as COVID-19 has kept him in the UK earlier in the season.

“As people travelling from the UK to Ireland currently have to quarantine on arrival for 14 days, I flew over immediately after racing at Goodwood last Saturday afternoon so that I could ride at the Irish Champions Weekend, starting on Sept. 12 at Leopardstown and moving on to The Curragh the following day,” Moore told Betfair. “It means that I am stuck in a house on my own for a fortnight, but it is well worth that small hardship. It has obviously been a touch frustrating on a personal level, watching so many of our stars winning in Ireland this season, while I have had to stay at home.

“It is just not missing out on the likes of the Classic winners like Santiago (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) in the Irish Derby and Peaceful (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Irish 1000 Guineas, but it is getting to know the youngsters and other horses, too.

“There is no substitute for getting a first-hand feel for all of the horses, as I always say. There is only so much a form book, or a video, can tell you. Not that I can even ride out while I am over here, but hopefully Aidan has lined up a strong team for the meeting.

“Irish Champions Weekend is so important that it made total sense for me to come over. It is a major meeting that you always want to be part of. It is a shame that there will be no one on track, but it is a fantastic programme of racing with top-class horses.”

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