covid-19 protocols | Horse Racing Free Tips

Jockeys To Resume Riding At Del Mar Without Undergoing New COVID-19 Tests

Del Mar's opening day was delayed when 15 asymptomatic jockeys tested positive for COVID-19 on July 14, but the track expects to resume racing operations this Friday. According to the Daily Racing Form, none of those jockeys will be required to present a new, negative COVID-19 test before returning to Del Mar to ride.

“The guidance from the county is you can return to work in 10 days,” track president Josh Rubinstein told the Daily Racing Form, adding that Del Mar is also following the advice of executives with medical advisers Scripps Health and the CDC.

The positive jockeys were instructed to quarantine, and they will undergo individual evaluations by a track physician, Rubinstein said. Jockeys will now be housed in 10-foot by 10-foot portions of the lower level of the grandstand, to allow for adequate social distancing, and current protocols do not allow for jockeys to work horses in the mornings.

Additionally, Del Mar's new house rule is that jockeys accepting rides at other tracks will not be allowed to return to ride at Del Mar through the end of the meet on Sept. 7.

One of the jockeys named to ride at Del Mar will be Hall of Famer Mike Smith, who told the Daily Racing Form that he has tested negative for COVID-19 on 11 different occasions. Smith rode last Saturday at Monmouth Park in New Jersey, winning the G1 Haskell Stakes aboard the Bob Baffert-trained Authentic.

“I was tested in Jersey on Saturday and when I came back here on Sunday,” Smith told drf.com. “I've been blessed to stay healthy so I could keep going. I'm trying to stay extra fit and make fitness a way of life. It's really paid off.”

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Minnesota Stewards Issue First Fines For Non-Compliance With COVID-19 Protocols At Canterbury

The Minnesota Racing Commission has followed through on executive director Steve May's promise to fine individuals for failure to adhere to COVID-19 protocols, according to rulings on the MRC website.

In a letter to Canterbury Park and the Minnesota HBPA dated July 8, May instructed MRC investigators and staff, Canterbury Park staff, and any licensee to report the name and badge number of any licensed individual that is not complying with COVID-19 protocols while at Canterbury Park to Board of Stewards. He also instructed the Board of Stewards to begin issuing civil fines for non-compliance with these protocols, beginning at $100 and escalating for repeated violations.

As of July 22, the MRC has issued nine $100 fines for violations of COVID-19 policy at Canterbury Park. The violations include failure to wear color-coded wristbands (to ensure that individuals have undergone a temperature and symptom check each day at the racetrack), proper nose and mouth coverage by a mask, and jockeys removing their masks in the winner's circle.

“I do not believe that I need to remind anyone that failure to adhere to COVID-19 protocols has led to the closure of at least two pari-mutuel racetracks throughout the United States that had previously been allowed to operate with protocols in place,” May wrote in his July 8 letter. “But I still rest assured that Minnesota's pari-mutuel racetracks can continue to offer a safe, secure facility for the horsepeople, the teams at Canterbury Park and the MRC, and most importantly the patrons visiting the racetrack. This is only possible with strict compliance to the COVID-19 protocols that have been thoroughly researched and developed with all parties in mind.”

The rulings are available at the MRC website.

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Louisiana Downs Announces Updated COVID-19 Protocols for Riders

Officials at Harrahs Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, Louisiana, have released updated protocols as it regards its jockey leaving and returning to the track.

The track has announced that any rider accepting a mount at another track will be asked to self-quarantine for a period of 14 days and will be required to submit a negative test for COVID-19 before being allowed to return. Inbound jockeys who have ridden at other facilities will be asked to do the same. The policy will be in effect until further notice.

“After careful consideration, we felt it was necessary to implement these restrictions at Harrah’s Louisiana Downs,” said David Heitzmann, Director of Racing. “The health and safety of everyone involved must be protected; we join other racetracks in North America by enacting these measures.”

Live racing at Louisiana Downs, which began June 6, continues Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday through Sept. 23.

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Fasig-Tipton Announces Five New Entries To July Sale, Including Stakes-Winning The Black Album

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued an additional five entries to its July Horses of Racing Age Sale, increasing the size of the catalogue to 181 entries. The live auction will be conducted with horses, buyers, and sellers in attendance.

These new entries are catalogued as hips 177-181, and may now be viewed online. This latest group of entries includes:

THE BLACK ALBUM (FR) (Hip 177): The 4-year-old colt comes to the sale off a powerful victory in the Jonathan B. Schuster Memorial S. at Indiana Grand on July 8, earning a 94 Beyer speed figure going 1 1/16 miles on turf. Since arriving in the U.S., he has notched four stakes wins or graded stakes placings. He was also a group winner in his native France at two. The Black Album (FR) is consigned by Bluewater Sales, agent.

These entries may also be viewed in the sale's enhanced online catalogue, which features pedigrees, race videos, statistical links, Ragozin “sheet” numbers, and real-time Daily Racing Form and Thoromanager past performances.

Print catalogues are available on-site at Fasig-Tipton.

Fasig-Tipton will continue to catalogue approved entries up until sale time.

Health and Safety Protocols

Health and safety protocols will be in place on-site at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky. A complete list may be found here.

Online Bidding

Online bidding, which Fasig-Tipton successfully debuted at its recent Midlantic Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, will also be available for the July Horses of Racing Age Sale. For more information, please visit: http://www.fasigtipton.com/online-bidding.

The company will provide phone bidding services, as well.

Del Mar Bonus

The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club will offer an additional $2,000 to their Ship & Win program for any horse purchased at the July Horses of Racing Age Sale that makes a start at the 2020 Del Mar Summer meet. Horses purchased at the sale will receive a day three date from the racing office.

The July Horses of Racing Age Sale will take place Monday, July 13 in Lexington, Kentucky. The sale will begin at 4 pm.

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