covid-19 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Additional Covid Attendance Restrictions Announced For UK

As there is currently an increased rate of transmission of COVID-19 in the UK, British racing leaders have agreed with the UK Government to impose more stringent racemeeting restrictions beginning on Jan. 1, the British Horseracing Authority announced on Tuesday. Under the new restrictions, no owners will be permitted to attend Tier 4 race meetings and essential staff only are allowed at meetings in Tier 4 areas. In addition, no owners living in Tier 4 will be permitted to attend race meetings in Tiers 1-3. These restrictions also apply to Scotland in areas which are under Level 4 restrictions. Owners are also encouraged to check with individual racecourses before attending. Owners attending race meetings in Tiers 2 and 3 are reminded that they must comply with the BHA’s protocols, as well as national guidance.

The BHA’s Chief Medical Advisor, Dr. Jerry Hill, said on Tuesday, “Racing has worked hard to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus through the tough protocols people have followed when attending race meetings. With the NHS under pressure and a more virulent strain of COVID now circulating, we have agreed that these new restrictions are appropriate to the situation and will keep their use under review for Tiers 2 and 3. No one should attend at all if they feel unwell and any participant showing symptoms should immediately self-isolate and arrange a COVID-19 test.”

“Our priority since June has been to keep racing going as this is vital to the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people who depend upon our industry,” said the BHA’s Chief Operating Officer Richard Wayman. “We have worked hard with government to secure permission for owners to keep attending, with numbers restricted during the national lockdown. Owners are the lifeblood of our sport and we understand the disappointment these additional restrictions will cause. However, the measures, which will be kept constantly under review, will help reduce risk on the racecourse and ensure that racing is able to continue safely through these most challenging times.”

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Hawthorne’s Fall Thoroughbred Meet Shows 29 Percent Handle Increase

In a year that saw a break during the summer harness meet for racing, limited to no fans in the facility, and uncertainty throughout the industry with virus concerns, the fall Thoroughbred meet at Hawthorne in Stickney, Ill. wrapped up with strong handle and field size increases. While the vast majority of handle came from locations off-site due to Covid-19 restrictions, great support from the horsemen in the entry box, beautiful weather, and support of the wagering public made for sizeable gains during the 34 day fall meet.

For handle, with restrictions in place throughout 2020, the only true comparison comes with total handle as $65,658,122 was wagered over the 34 racing days in 2020. This was compared to $44,763,380 wagered on the 30 cards in the 2019 October through December timeframe. This translated to a 29 percent per card increase in handle of $1,931,121 wagered per card in 2020 compared to $1,492,112 in the fall of 2019. For the 2020 meet, 15 cards surpassed $2 million in handle, compared to just one in 2019.

Field size greatly increased as well. With 298 races run in 2020, compared to 277 in 2019, a total of 2,694 horses started this fall, compared to 2,251 last season. Total average field size for the meet increased from 8.13 per race in 2019 to 9.04 in 2020. The nice weather paid off for turf races as 49 races were run on the grass in 2020, compared to just 19 in 2019.

On the track, jockey Victor Santiago won his second Hawthorne riding title, winning 32 races. 2019 champ Jareth Loveberry had another strong meet, finishing with 28 wins. Loveberry was followed by Chris Emigh, Julio Felix, and newcomer Francisco Arrieta, each with 27 wins apiece.

Trainer Hugh Robertson took his second consecutive training title, winning 26 races this fall. Scott Becker finished second with 16 wins. A strong first Hawthorne meet from Karl Broberg had him in third with 14 victories, tied with Brittany Vandenberg.

A big closing day pushed Novogratz Racing Stables to the owner's title, winning 16 races, followed by William Stritiz with 13 victories and End Zone Athletics, Inc. with 10 wins.

Two horses won five races during the fall meet as Wake Up Joe and Verrazano First both accomplished that feat. Readthecliffnotes scored four times during the fall racing season.

“2020 has been a year unlike any other at Hawthorne,” stated Hawthorne President and General Manager Tim Carey. “We faced uncertainty with the racing schedule, fans on-site, and working around casino construction at our facility. Working hand in hand with our horsemen made a great difference though. They are excited about what is just around the corner at Hawthorne for racing and showed their support all meet long. While 2020 turned out to be a strong fall meet for us, I cannot wait for what we can do for racing in Illinois in 2021 and beyond.”

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$23 Million In Opening Day Wagers Sets New Record For Santa Anita

With an 11-race card that included six stakes, all run in idyllic weather conditions, Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., set an all-time opening day record pari-mutuel handle of $23,003,159 on Saturday, eclipsing the previous opening day benchmark of $20,491,016, which was established over 11 races run on Dec. 26, 2018.

Aside from essential licensed personnel, which includes owners, Santa Anita remains closed to the public and thus almost all of its total handle on Saturday was wagered via ADW platforms and a smattering of brick and mortar satellite locations that have remained open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Santa Anita, which opened on Dec. 25, 1934, and was closed for three years during World War II, staged its 84th opener on Saturday, with first post time at 11 a.m.

“We want to thank our fans, owners, trainers, jockeys and other stakeholders for supporting our racing program and contributing to a strong opening day,” said Nate Newby, Santa Anita Senior vice president and general manager. “This has been a difficult year for a lot of people and we are happy to be able to provide world-class racing for those watching and playing the races from home.

“We can't wait to welcome our fans and our employees back to The Great Race Place when protocols allow everyone to enjoy our tremendous sport in person. In the meantime, we are thankful to be able to operate as we are currently.”

With five graded stakes, three of them of the Grade 1 variety, the highlight of the opening day program came in the Grade 1, $300,000 Runhappy Malibu, as Bob Baffert-trained Charlatan powered to a tremendous 4 ½ length win under Mike Smith and thus thrust himself into a potential role of Horse of the Year candidate in the approaching new year.

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Dubai World Cup Purse To Stay At $12 Million; $8.5 Million Cut From Other Purses In Event’s 25th Running

Dubai Racing Club has announced that the Dubai World Cup purse has been retained at US$12 million and that the deadline for free nominations to the historic 25th Dubai World Cup has been extended until January 20, 2021. Held on the final Saturday of March each year, the single day of racing boasts an impressive six Grade 1 and three Grade 2 races, reflective of the elite standard of competition, hosted at the iconic Meydan Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates.

Last year a total of 1,774 nominations were accepted from 902 horses trained in 21 countries.

Scheduled on March 27, 2021, the Dubai World Cup has been contested at 1 ¼ miles (2,000 meters) on dirt since 1996 and has been won by horses trained in France, Japan, UAE, UK and USA.

Purses for the remaining eight races are reduced from the previous running by a total of US$8.5 million, but given the challenging events over the past few months on account of Covid-19, Dubai Racing Club has made every effort to ensure the return of racing in safe and secure conditions. Purses for the night will total $26.5 million.

A positive addition is the decision to modify the purse structure, allowing for payment to eighth place in all races on the night.

Dubai World Cup – Revised Prize Money:
G1 (Arabian) 2000m Dubai Kahayla Classic Sponsored by Mubadala – US$750,000 (formerly US$1 million)

G2 1600 m(Dirt) Godolphin Mile – US$750,000 (formerly US$1.5 million)

G2 3200m (Turf) Dubai Gold Cup Sponsored by Al Tayer Motors – US$750,000 (formerly US$1.5 million)

G1 1200m (Turf) Al Quoz Sprint Sponsored by Azizi Developments – US$1,000,000 (formerly US$2 million)

G2 1900m(Dirt) UAE Derby Sponsored by Emirates NBD – US$750,000 (formerly US$2.5 million)

G1 1200m (Dirt) Dubai Golden Shaheen Sponsored by Gulf News – US$1,500,000 (formerly US$2.5 million)

G1 1800m (Turf) Dubai Turf Sponsored DP World – US$4,000,000 (formerly US$6 million)

G1 2410m (Turf) Longines Dubai Sheema Classic – US$5,000,000 (formerly US$6 million)

G1 2000m (Dirt) Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline – US$12,000,000

The brochure with further details regarding nominations of horses to Dubai World Cup day will be released shortly, meanwhile the link below may be used for nominations.

http://carnivalhorsemen.dubairacingclub.com/DWC-nomination

The first supplementary stage for all races on Dubai World Cup day will close on Wednesday, February 10, when connections can nominate their horse for 0.1% of the prize money of their chosen race. The second supplementary stage is on Monday, March 8, when horses can be supplemented for 1% of the prize money. The third and final supplementary stage takes place on Sunday, March 21, when horses can be supplemented into the race for 10% of the prize money. Entry/declaration takes place Monday, March 22.

The post Dubai World Cup Purse To Stay At $12 Million; $8.5 Million Cut From Other Purses In Event’s 25th Running appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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