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Laurel Park to Temporarily Close to Public

In response to current state COVID-19 health and safety protocols, the Maryland Jockey Club at Laurel Park will temporarily close to the public, effective Friday, Nov. 20, at 5 p.m. ET, but will continue to accommodate owners and other licensed horsemen who wish to attend the races.

Live racing will continue as scheduled Thursday through Sunday for the remaining days in November, and Thursday through Saturday in December with a special Sunday, Dec. 27 program. There will be no racing on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, Dec. 24 and 25.

All off-track betting venues will remain open.

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British Racing To Receive £40m in Aid

British Racing will receive up to £40-million in government loans as part of a £300-million Sport Winter Survival Package for sports hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eleven sports have been designated for the aid, with racing-which has taken place without spectators since its resumption after the nation’s first lockdown in June 1-second only in terms of the amount it will receive to rugby union, which gets £135-million.

The British Horseracing Authority tweeted on Thursday, “The BHA welcomes the announcement by [the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport] that up to £40m of loans will be made available for British racing. This recognises racing’s position as the UK’s second biggest spectator sport, the many livelihoods it supports and the financial peril faced across our industry. Working with racecourses and horsemen, the BHA put in a detailed submission to Government in October. This included an assessment of the economic impact of the absence of spectators for a further six months until the end of March.”

Sports minister Nigel Huddleston said: “Over the past few weeks we have worked tirelessly with sport governing bodies and clubs across the country to fully assess what support is needed, as a result of the decision to postpone the return of fans. We know the vast majority of sports–many of which operate on tight financial margins–have been making serious cost reductions, such as locking down grounds, taking up the furlough scheme for many staff and halting excess payments. Whilst the Government’s overall economic package has provided a significant buffer, it is absolutely right that we now intervene to protect entire sports, and the communities they support, as we navigate this pandemic.”

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden added, “Sports clubs are the beating hearts of their communities and this £300m boost will help them survive this difficult winter period. We promised to stand by sports when we had to postpone fans returning. We are doing just that by delivering another £300m on top of existing business support schemes.

“Britain is a sports powerhouse and this Government will do everything we can to help our precious sports and clubs make it through COVID.”

The final amounts each sports sector receives may still differ, with final decisions set to be made by an independent decision-making board and supported by Sport England.

Sport England chief executive Tim Hollingsworth said, “These are unprecedented times for our sector and those sports and leagues that rely so heavily on spectators for their income that have been especially impacted by the pandemic. The role they play in their local communities is vital and this package of support from Government will be hugely welcomed.

“Alongside our wider support for grassroots and community sport, Sport England is working very closely with Government colleagues on the design of this fund and we look forward to playing a key role in its successful and swift delivery.”

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Overbury Stud Trims Fees For 2021

Overbury Stud has announced reduced stud fees for three of its five stallions for 2021.

Ardad (Ire), who will have his first runners next season, will stand at £4,000 having stood his first three seasons at £6,500. Cityscape (GB) will also stand at £4,000, while Irish Derby winner Jack Hobbs, another with first 2-year-olds in 2021, has also had his fee reduced by £1,000 and will stand at £3,000.

The fee for Schiaparelli (Ger) will return to £2,000 after he stood last year at £1,500, while Frontiersman (GB), whose first foals were born this year, will remain at £1,000. A regally-bred son of Dubawi (Ire) and Ouija Board (GB), Frontiersman covered more than 60 mares in his first season and just over 100 this year.

Commenting on the fee adjustments, Overbury Stud’s Simon Sweeting said, “Our stallions have actually enjoyed many successes in 2021, and we certainly wouldn’t be reducing their fees if it weren’t for the pandemic. But just about every business is having to be cautious about the future, and we hope breeders will find our fees as good value as ever.”

He continued, “Take Cityscape, for instance: his best horse so far is rated 124 by Timeform—there are plenty of stallions at far higher fees who can’t boast that. And we can hardly wait to see the first Ardads get to the racecourse next spring. His yearlings went down very well with proper judges, and it’s exciting to see so many trainers who are famed for their Royal Ascot 2-year-olds stocking up on them.”

Sweeting, who retired Overbury Stud’s 11-time leading British National Hunt sire Kayf Tara (GB) earlier this year, added, “Jack Hobbs is, we hope, his ready-made replacement. He’s been patronised by top breeders and his stock certainly look the part. As for Schiaparelli, well, his offspring are doing so well, they share the same head-down attitude to racing that he had, and it’s particularly fortunate they seem to excel at Cheltenham. His Stayers’ Hurdle runner-up, Ronald Pump, and Indefatigable, who won the Martin Pipe off top-weight, are two of his flag-bearers, and are horses any jumps breeder would be thrilled to have produced.”

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German Freshman Champion Isfahan To Stand At €4,500

Dr Stefan Oschmann, owner of Isfahan (Ger), Germany’s champion first-season sire of 2020, has announced that the son of Lord Of England (Ger) will stand for €4,500 next year.

The winner of the G1 Deutsches Derby in 2016 for Oschmann’s Darius Racing when trained by Andreas Wohler, Isfahan stands at Gestut Ohlerweiherhof. From his 10 first-crop runners he was represented by five winners, including Isfahani (Ger), who landed the G3 Premio Guido Berardelli in Rome on her debut for Henk Grewe.

Dr Oschmann remarked, “It was a very good first season for Isfahan. In addition to being champion first-season sire, he was also leading sire of 2-year-olds by domestic and international winnings of all stallions in Germany.”

He added, “Isfahan was a Derby winner and the focus of his offspring is actually on the Classic campaign for 3-year-olds, so it is very encouraging that he got off to a good start with his 2-year-olds. His sire Lord of England is a stalwart among German stallions and his grandsire Dashing Blade was a multiple champion sire in Germany. Now Isfahan has also won a championship.”

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