Tag: covid-19

NYRA Announces New COVID-19 Protocols For Jockeys

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has announced COVID-19 health and safety protocols for jockeys during the 2020/21 Aqueduct winter meet, which will open on Thursday, Dec. 10 and run through Sunday, March 28.

The 56-day Aqueduct winter meet will include 42 stakes races worth $4.57 million in purse money. In order to mitigate risk and reduce the spread of COVID-19, Aqueduct will be closed to riders that are not regular members of the NYRA jockey colony as of Dec. 31.

To account for NYRA's 10-day holiday break from December 21 through Dec. 30, jockeys interested in being included in the regular NYRA jockey colony must contact NYRA for consideration by Dec. 31.

Members of the regular NYRA jockey colony who travel to ride at any other racetrack during the Aqueduct winter meet will be required to provide two negative COVID-19 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. All COVID-19 testing must be performed in New York state.

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 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 during the Aqueduct winter meet will generally be conducted Thursday through Sunday until the end of February and the addition of special Monday cards on Jan. 18 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Feb. 15 for Presidents' Day. Live racing in March will be offered Friday through Sunday through the conclusion of the winter meet on March 28.

For additional information, and the complete winter meet stakes schedule, please visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/stakes-schedule.

The post NYRA Announces New COVID-19 Protocols For Jockeys appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Racing Economic Indicators: U.S. Wagering Down Marginally in November

Despite the rise in the COVID-19 infection rate in many states around the country, wagering on U.S. races managed to remain relatively stable, with only a slight dip from 2019 figures. A total of $895,325,220 was wagered last month, down 6.33% from November of 2019. Year-to-date figures decreased only 1.48% from $10,326,096,182 bet in 2019. Both figures include worldwide commingled wagering on U.S. races. In November, average wagering per race day jumped by 35.49% up to $3,996,998, while the year-to-date figure showed a similar pattern, rising by 33.78% to $3,310,512.

On the other hand, purses dropped precipitously last month when compared to the same period in 2019: a drop of 20.47% to $92,058,080 in 2020. From the start of the year through November, purses fell 26.28% to $812,146,506. Average purses per race day showed a slight increase to $264,285 (YTD), while rising by 15.03% to $410,974 for the month.

While U.S. race days fell from 324 to 224 last month, average field size showed a slight gain of 4.35% to 8.35.

The post Racing Economic Indicators: U.S. Wagering Down Marginally in November appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Mike Smith Tests Positive For COVID-19, Off Weekend Mounts At Los Al

Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith has tested positive for COVID-19 and will not ride at Los Alamitos this weekend, according to TVG on Twitter. The news was first reported by DRF's Steve Andersen.

“The good news is that he's feeling great,” said TVG's Brittney Eurton. “He's showing no signs of COVID-19. He did take two rapid tests, they came back positive. He's going to re-test with a normal one, a traditional test on Monday.”

All jockeys and valets are required to test for COVID-19 at Los Alamitos.

Smith was listed to ride morning-line favorite Astute for trainer Richard Mandella in the G1 Starlet Stakes on Saturday, but will now be replaced by jockey Flavien Prat.

The post Mike Smith Tests Positive For COVID-19, Off Weekend Mounts At Los Al appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Mike Smith Positive for COVID-19; Will Miss Weekend Mounts

Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith has tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him to bypass this weekend’s stakes action at Los Alamitos, according to the DRF‘s Steve Andersen Friday.
“I don’t have any symptoms,” he told DRF. “I’ll have to wait a few days and test again. Hopefully, I’ll be back up for the following week. I’ll watch a little Netflix.”
Smith, whose positive was determined following a test at Santa Anita Friday, was scheduled to accompany Astute (Speightstown) in Saturday’s GI Starlet S. and Proud Emma (Include) in Sunday’s GIII Bayakoa S. He did not have any other mounts on the opening weekend of the Los Angeles County Fair meeting at Los Alamitos from Friday through Sunday.
In light of Smith’s forced defection, Flavien Prat will ride Astute, while Juan Hernandez has the mount on Proud Emma.

The post Mike Smith Positive for COVID-19; Will Miss Weekend Mounts appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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