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Aqueduct Announces Updated Jockey Protocols For Winter Meet

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced updated COVID-19 health and safety protocols for jockeys competing at the Aqueduct Racetrack winter meet which runs through Sunday, March 28.

As of March 1, out of town riders not established in the NYRA colony may ride at Aqueduct upon completion of two negative COVID-19 PCR tests within five days of race day. Incoming riders will be provided isolated jockey quarters. All COVID-19 testing must be performed in New York state.

Prior to March 1, Aqueduct Racetrack was closed to riders that were not considered members of the NYRA winter jockey colony—as listed in the condition book- as of Dec. 31.

Members of the regular NYRA jockey colony who travel to ride at any other racetrack during the Aqueduct winter meet will continue to be required to provide two negative COVID-19 PCR tests taken within a 5-day window in order to return to ride at Aqueduct. Jockeys traveling out of state who have completed the required testing will then be physically isolated in the jockey quarters for three additional calendar days.

In addition to race day safety protocols which include standard health screening and temperature checks, the jockey quarters at Aqueduct have been substantially altered to provide maximum social distancing and reduce density. All areas accessed by jockeys during the regular course of a race day are closed to outside personnel, including credentialed media, and are cleaned and disinfected throughout the day.

Jockeys are not permitted access to the barn area at Belmont Park.

Jockey agents must produce a negative COVID-19 PCR test in order to gain access to the barn area. Races will continue to be drawn via Zoom.

Valets working in in the jockey quarters are not permitted in the barn area.

Live racing in March will be offered Friday through Sunday through the conclusion of the winter meet on March 28.

For additional information, please visit https://www.nyra.com.

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Casino To Re-Open At Sunland Park, But Racing Remains On Hold

Sunland Park in New Mexico plans to re-open the casino portion of its venue on March 5, reports ABC-7. The casino has been shut down due to COVID-19 since last summer.

Horse racing at Sunland Park remains on hold, however.

Last week, state regulators officially cancelled the remainder of the 2021 race meet, including the Sunland Derby. The track's signature race was not held in 2020, either.

It’s Official: No Horse Racing In Saskatchewan For Second Straight Year

The following press release was sent out this Thursday by Prairieland Park, operator of Saskatchewan's only horse racing venue, Marquis Downs. There was no racing in the Canadian province in 2020 due to COVID-19, and last week, a potential investor pulled out of negotiations to host a 2021 race meet.

After much consideration and discussion, Prairieland Park regretfully announces the cancellation of the 2021 Thoroughbred racing season at Marquis Downs in Saskatoon.

This is the second year in a row that Prairieland has had to make this difficult decision. Given the ongoing restrictions surrounding Covid-19, including logistical issues related to the ability to get jockeys into Canada given travel restrictions, quarantine requirements, visa
approvals, and extremely limited airline scheduling to the Caribbean, meant that Prairieland could not commit to a race meet this year.

Seventy-six percent of our professional jockeys come from the Caribbean.

Like many other businesses, Prairieland Park has seen a 90 percent reduction in its overall operations. Net profit declined by 82 percent in 2020 and projected losses from this year will exceed $2,000,000. Prairieland's revenue is derived from trade shows, banquets, agricultural exhibitions, and the Exhibition itself. All of these business units have been unable to open due to Covid-19 and the effect of that has been a significant reduction in revenues.

To help maintain its strong balance sheet Prairieland Park has been forced to make many difficult decisions over the last year. The primary commitment is opening operations when safe to do so.

As other public health restrictions are more clearly known, Prairieland will make further announcements, including the status of the Saskatoon EX.

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President Lifts Several Immigrant, Non Immigrant Travel Restrictions; H-2B Visa Cap Reached

President Joe Biden issued a Proclamation on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2020, to revoke Proclamation 10014 (Suspension of Entry of Immigrants Who Present a Risk to the United States Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak) and sections of related Proclamations that added nonimmigrants to the travel suspension. Click here to view President Biden's Proclamation.

Originally issued on April 20, 2020, by then-President Trump and extended by him in June and December through sections of Proclamations 10052 and 10131, respectively, Proclamation 10014 prevented certain immigrants and nonimmigrants from traveling to the United States. Included in this group were individuals who either were selected to receive the opportunity to apply for visas – including H-2B visas – through the Fiscal Year 2020 Diversity Visa Lottery or who had already received such visas, causing labor challenges for many industries, including the horse racing industry. President Biden's Proclamation revokes these restrictions.

In other foreign worker developments, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it had received enough H-2B worker petitions by February 12 to reach the congressionally mandated H-2B visa cap of 33,000 visas for the 2nd half of fiscal year 2021.

In December, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 became law and included a provision that provides the DHS with the discretionary authority to release an additional 64,716 H-2B visas when sufficient need is demonstrated. The NTRA, through its involvement with the H-2B Workforce Coalition, supports efforts to make these additional visas immediately available to seasonal businesses struggling with labor issues.

The H-2B visa guest worker program is a nonimmigrant visa program used by many industries that need temporary non-agricultural help when domestic workers are unavailable. For the horse racing industry, racehorse trainers rely heavily on the H-2B program to fill various backside positions. Demand for H-2B visas often exceeds their availability and the cap level is quickly reached, leaving employers in need.

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