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Breeders’ Cup Outlines Championships Protocols

The Breeders' Cup outlines health and safety protocols for the 2021 World Championships, which take place Nov. 5-6 at Del Mar.

EQUINE SAFETY, TESTING AND SECURITY

All Breeders' Cup runners are subject to:

Randomized out-of-competition (OOC) testing (beginning internationally in June and concluded Nov. 1, resulting in the collection of over 300 blood and hair samples
Expanded veterinary scrutiny in-stall and during training at Del Mar, Santa Anita and San Luis Rey Training Center
Mandatory trot up observations of every horse prior to being permitted to enter a racing surface
Comprehensive veterinary exams including diagnostics, if required, beginning Oct. 25
Surveillance following a mandatory equine security check-in Nov. 2
An additional round of testing for performance enhancing medications and prohibited substances on all horses entered starting Nov. 2, along with additional randomized onsite testing over the following days for a total of approximately 500 blood, hair and urine samples collected from all Breeders' Cup runners prior to the World Championships
Extensive post-race testing of the first four finishers as well as any other runner that did not perform as expected and others designated by the Stewards.

The Breeders' Cup's veterinary team includes Dr. Will Farmer, Dr. Deborah Lamparater and CHRB Equine Medical Director Dr. Jeff Blea. Veterinary protocols include observing all potential Breeders' Cup runners in the stabling area, on the track and in their stalls leading up to the event in addition to a mandatory pre-race evaluation Nov. 2 to ensure every runner is fit to race.

TRACK SURFACE SAFETY

Breeders' Cup has retained a panel of racing surface experts, including Racetrack Safety Program Director Mick Peterson, Del Mar turf course superintendent Leif Dickinson and Del Mar racetrack superintendent Dennis Moore, to oversee testing and track maintenance in conjunction with Del Mar's racing surface team. Together, they will ensure consistency in both surfaces, measuring moisture content and footing across the surfaces and providing participants with real-time updates on track and turf conditions.

COVID-19 MITIGATION

The Breeders' Cup and Del Mar have worked closely with local public health officials and infectious disease experts to implement health and safety protocols to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 during the World Championships. Among the experts enlisted to provide effective protocols have been set in place include Dr. Richard Greenberg–former Chief of Infectious Disease of the University of Kentucky and former employee of the Center for Disease Control; Scripps Health's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ghazala Sharieff; Public Health Officer Dr. Wilma Wooten and Chief Resiliency Officer Gary Johnston.

Protocols for attending this year's event include:

Unvaccinated individuals must wear face coverings indoors and outdoors when in close proximity to others. Face coverings should fully cover the mouth and nose and fit snugly against the sides of the face so there are no gaps.
Guests entering the facility or placing a bet are to practice physical distancing.
Guests are to refrain from congregating inside the grandstand and follow all posted signage and floor decals as well as any direction from Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and Breeders' Cup staff.
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and Breeders' Cup staff have implemented enhanced cleaning and sanitization procedures throughout the facility.
Hand-sanitizing stations have been placed throughout the grandstand and additional staff will be on-site for cleaning high-touch areas.
Media and guests with tickets located on the 6th Floor (Il Palio Restaurant and Skyroom Suite Dining) will be required to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 or proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within the previous 72 hours.

For complete resources detailing Breeders' Cup's health and safety protocols for the 2021 World Championships, click here.

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National Museum Of Racing And Hall of Fame’s Third Annual Photo Finish Exhibition Opens Friday

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame's 3rd annual Photo Finish: Juried Photography Exhibition will open in the Museum's von Stade Gallery on Friday in conjunction with Breeders' Cup weekend. Since its inception, the Museum's juried photography exhibition program has received submissions from photographers hailing from 27 states and three Canadian provinces.

This year's exhibition features 45 photographs by 34 photographers from 12 states. An additional 14 photographs will be included in the online exhibition as online-only entries, bringing the total representation of the 3rd annual Photo Finish exhibition to 14 states (California, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin). The selected photographs document the entire racing experience, from the farm to the backstretch to the winner's circle, including several images that showcase how Covid-19 impacted the racing world in 2020. The online exhibition will be available on the Museum's website at: https://racingmuseum.org/exhibits/photo-finish-juried-photography-exhibition.

Each year, the Museum invites amateur and professional photographers to submit photographs for consideration. The only requirement is that each submitted photograph must relate to the sport of thoroughbred racing in North America. A panel of judges representing both the racing and arts communities selects the photographs for exhibition. This year's jurors included Louise Kerr (Executive Director, Saratoga Arts), Shannon Luce (Director of Communications, The Jockey Club), Skip Dickstein (Eclipse Award-winning photographer), Sally Jeffords (National Museum of Racing trustee, chair of the Collections & Exhibits Committee), and Cate Masterson (Director, National Museum of Racing).

The 3rd annual Photo Finish: Juried Photography Exhibition will remain on display through Feb. 20, 2022. The call for submissions for the 4th annual exhibition will be announced in early 2022.

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Aqueduct Racetrack Re-Opens To Fans On Nov. 11

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced that Aqueduct Racetrack will re-open to the public on Thursday, Nov. 11, Opening Day of the 2021 fall meet.

Originally closed to fans during the height of the COVID-19 emergency in March of 2020, Aqueduct then became the site of a New York State mass vaccination center in January 2021.

The vaccination center, which has distributed more than 300,000 COVID-19 inoculations to date, was a critical piece in the New York State led effort to quickly and efficiently vaccinate New Yorkers. The size and scope of the center, which occupied the entirety of Aqueduct's first floor, required the continued closure of the facility to the general public.

“We are proud to have partnered with New York State so that so many New Yorkers had easy access to these incredibly important vaccines,” said NYRA President and CEO Dave O'Rourke. “NYRA would also like to thank our loyal fans for their patience as we worked to bring them back to the Big A. Aqueduct is New York City's racetrack, and we couldn't be happier to finally be able to open the doors once again on Nov. 11.”

While the vaccination center will remain in operation, its footprint will be reduced and consolidated. Appointments are optional and walk-ins are currently being accommodated for COVID-19 vaccinations at Aqueduct. For additional information, and details on eligibility for booster doses, please visit https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/.

New York City has established strict vaccine requirements for nearly all indoor settings. Proof of vaccination is currently required to enter indoor entertainment venues, sports arenas, restaurants, movie theaters, music and concert venues, museums, aquariums and zoos, convention centers, exhibition halls, hotel meeting and event spaces, performing arts theaters, bowling alleys, arcades and a host of other settings.

This vaccine requirement is inclusive of fans, employees, vendors and anyone else who physically enters the venue. Accordingly, and in compliance with New York City law, anyone seeking to enter Aqueduct Racetrack must show proof of vaccination in order to gain admittance.

This program, called the Key to NYC, prohibits NYRA from allowing entrance to Aqueduct to anyone over the age of 12 who cannot demonstrate proof that the individual has received at least one dose of a vaccine. NYRA will accept the CDC vaccination card and the New York State Excelsior pass as proof of vaccination.

NYRA previously announced that the Belmont fall meet, originally scheduled to conclude on Oct. 31, will be extended to include three additional dates from Friday, Nov. 5 through Sunday, Nov. 7. These dates were originally scheduled to be run at Aqueduct Racetrack as opening weekend of the Aqueduct fall meet. As a result, the 15-day Aqueduct fall meet will now begin on Thursday, Nov. 11 and continue through Sunday, Dec. 5.

Admission to Aqueduct, which will be open to the public on live race days only, is free of charge. The gates will open daily at 11 a.m. First post during the Aqueduct fall meet is 12:30 p.m.

Fans visiting Aqueduct should use the Clubhouse Entrance to provide the required proof of vaccination. Preferred parking will be $10 daily in the Clubhouse lot and general parking with be in the Conduit lot. All parking fees must be paid via credit card.

For additional information, visit NYRA.com.

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Tattersalls Ascot November Catalogue Released

The catalogue for the Tattersalls Ascot November Sale was released on Tuesday. Slated for Nov. 4, the 99 lots are divided between 27 fillies in/out of training, 57 colts and geldings, four point-to-pointers, five yearlings and six stores. It will be the first sale held at Ascot Racecourse since December of 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the vendors are Bedford House, Beckhampton House, East Everleigh, Godolphin, Jackdaws Castle, Park House, Seven Barrows, Somerville Lodge, The Old Malthouse and West Ilsley.

Some of the lots on offer are: Kingdom Girl (GB) (Kingman {GB}) (lot 59), one of seven lots from Godolphin who is a half-sister to Group 3 winner Spirit of Appin (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}); another Godolphin horse is the Group 2-placed Nemean Lion (Ger) (Golden Horn {GB}) (lot 63); while Bedford House Stables consigns G3 Tyros S. runner-up Toronto (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) (lot 46).

The post Tattersalls Ascot November Catalogue Released appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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