Tag: Horse racing news

Maryland Jockey Club Announces Strict Jockey Protocols For Preakness Weekend

The Maryland Jockey Club announced Friday strict protocols for jockeys intending to ride during Preakness weekend, Oct. 1-3, at Pimlico Race Course.

A total of 16 stakes, nine graded, worth $3.35 million in purses will be offered during the three-day span that closes the abbreviated Preakness Meet at Pimlico, highlighted by the 145th running of the Preakness Stakes (G1) Saturday, Oct. 3.

All jockeys intending to ride during the weekend must arrive at Pimlico's drive-up COVID-19 testing site located just outside of the Hayward Avenue stable gate no later than 72 hours prior to their first riding assignment:

  • Monday, Sept. 28 by 10 a.m. for the Thursday, Oct. 1 program
  • Tuesday, Sept. 29 by 10 a.m. for the Friday, Oct. 2 program
  • Wednesday, Sept. 30 by 10 a.m. for the Saturday, Oct. 3 program

Jockeys' room personnel, designated officials and designated racing personnel must visit the Pimlico drive-up testing site on Saturday, Sept. 26 or Monday, Sept. 28 by 10 a.m. Included are all starting gate crew, valets, outriders, escort pony personnel and racing officials that must access the jockeys' room.

Pimlico's drive-up testing site will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. starting Sunday, Sept. 27 and running through Wednesday, Sept. 30. Samples collected before 10 a.m. will have results by 9 a.m. the following day. Samples collected after 10 a.m. will be tested the following day.

All jockeys coming to Maryland from out of state will be required to leave Pimlico after being tested and self-isolate until notified of their test results. Those with negative results will be instructed to return to Pimlico for a wristband indicating their status and which barn area they are allowed to access.

Jockeys with positive results will be directed not to enter the grounds at Pimlico and may be referred to the local MedStar Health medical director for clinical evaluation.

Access to the jockeys' room is limited to riders and their valets, jockeys' room officials and staff and designated essential personnel. Only jockeys scheduled to ride on the current day's program will be permitted entry.

All jockeys, valets and officials will have their temperatures taken daily and must demonstrate fair health before entering the jockeys' room. Any jockey or official showing signs of illness will be denied access. Jockeys that display mild cold-like symptoms may be referred to MedStar for evaluation.

Additional jockeys' quarters have been established to ensure social distancing. Female riders will utilize their same area adjacent to the Pimlico paddock, while male riders will be relocated to the second-floor clubhouse with split facilities for local and out-of-town jockeys. The jockeys' room sauna will remain closed.

All jockeys are required to wear gloves, including during races, and are required to change to clean gloves with each race. Face coverings must be worn at all times over the mouth and nose while in the jockeys' room. Jockeys, valets and officials are not allowed to gather or loiter in the room or jockey areas between races or before and after the race card.

Every employee, jockey, official and horseman are required to maintain social distancing strategies at all times, both within and outside of training and racing hours. The Maryland Department of Health recommends any Marylander returning from out of state or any out-of-state visitors to get tested for COVID-19 promptly upon arrival in or within 72 hours before travel to Maryland.

The post Maryland Jockey Club Announces Strict Jockey Protocols For Preakness Weekend appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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CHRB: Several Fair Dates Moved To Golden Gate, Serious Concerns Aired About National Bill

The California Horse Racing Board conducted a meeting by teleconference on Thursday, September 24. The public participated by dialing into the teleconference and/or listening through the audio webcast link on the CHRB website. Chairman Gregory Ferraro chaired the meeting, joined by Vice Chairman Oscar Gonzales and Commissioners Dennis Alfieri, Damascus Castellanos, Brenda Washington Davis, and Wendy Mitchell.

The audio of this entire Board meeting is available on the CHRB Website (www.chrb.ca.gov) under the Webcast link. In brief:

  • Chairman Ferraro and others welcomed Commissioner Davis to her first meeting since her August 26 appointment to the Board by Governor Gavin Newsom.
  • The Board approved license applications for four race meets, all of which are scheduled to be run without fans in attendance due to COVID-19 and under strict protocols established by local health officials designed to protect all racing participants. As approved:
    • The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club will run its fall meet beginning October 31 through November 29 with mostly three-day racing weeks, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
    • Watchandwager.com will run a harness meet at Cal Expo beginning November 21 through December 19 with mostly two-day racing weeks, Fridays and Saturdays.
    • Pacific Racing Association II will run an extended thoroughbred meet at Golden Gate Fields (GGF) due to the reallocation of race dates that have been relinquished by the Big Fresno Fair. The additional two weeks extend the current race meet to October 18.
    • After the conclusion of the current meet, including the additional dates relinquished by the Big Fresno Fair, Pacific Racing Association will run a separate thoroughbred meet at GGF beginning October 22 through December 13, all four-day race weeks, Thursday through Sunday.
  • The Board approved agreements between the Thoroughbred Owners of California and the racing secretaries at GGF and Del Mar regarding entry conditions limiting specific drug substances for entered horses.
  • Dr. Rick Arthur, equine medical director, advised he was in constant contact with management at Los Alamitos, GGF, and Del Mar and with safety personnel at those locations pertaining to heat conditions and also air quality issues created by widespread fires.
  • There were no heat-related problems with horses during the recent heat wave throughout California, but air quality conditions caused a major reduction in training and also prompted GGF to cancel one weekend of racing. Santa Anita postponed the start of its fall meet by one week to September 25.
  • Dr. Arthur stressed the relationship between racehorse injury and rider safety, an issue he raised due to the serious injuries sustained by jockey Vinnie Bednar. He reminded the Board that research at the University of California, Davis, confirmed the relationship between horse injury and jockey injury and noted that a video on Racing Injury Prevention can be viewed on the CHRB website. He also advised that a GoFundMe account has been established for Bednar ( https://gf.me/u/yvswsm ).
  • Executive Director Scott Chaney reported serious concerns with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act that is moving swiftly through Congress. These concerns were echoed by some commissioners. Chaney said safety rules and protocols in California are the strictest in the nation. Therefore, national standards, as called for in HISA, may actually be less strict.
  • Chaney reminded everyone that a revised rule governing use of the riding crop will go into effect October 1. The CHRB issued a news release earlier on this subject. He also noted improvements to the CHRB website pertaining to the listing of equine fatalities and a list of reforms that are either completed or in process for the protection of horses and riders.
  • For continuity purposes, the Board temporarily suspended through December 25 the new rule prohibiting Lasix in 2-year-olds, which will only impact quarter horses.
  • In compliance with a procedural matter raised by the Office of Administrative Law, the Board re-approved a rule strictly limiting the use of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on racehorses.
  • The Board suspended Rule 1845(h), which required syringes used to administer Lasix on race day be retained. An amendment permanently eliminating the requirement will be heard in October.
  • In two separate but related actions, the Board authorized Los Alamitos to distribute a total of $26,580 in race day charity proceeds to four beneficiaries.
  • The Board authorized Los Alamitos Equine Horse Sale, LLC, to conduct horse sales at Los Alamitos on October 3 and 4.

Public comments made during the meeting can be accessed through the meeting audio archive on the CHRB website

The post CHRB: Several Fair Dates Moved To Golden Gate, Serious Concerns Aired About National Bill appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Gulfstream’s Rainbow 6 Guaranteed At $1 Million Saturday; Mandatory Payout Sunday

Gulfstream Park wraps up its summer meeting with $1 million in purses up for the grabs Saturday – including the finals of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes – and a mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 that could swell to approximately $5 million.

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $1 million for Saturday's FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes program at Gulfstream Park. Multiple winning tickets Friday returned $39,583.64. There will also be a Super Hi-5 carryover of $3,612.13.

Saturday's Rainbow 6 sequence will be co-headlined by the $400,000 FSS In Reality and the $400,000 FSS My Dear Girl for fillies, the final legs of the tradition-rich series for 2-year-olds sired by accredited Florida stallions.

The Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot is usually only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day's pool usually goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool. However, on mandatory-payout days, the entire pool is paid out to the bettor or bettors with the most winners in the six-race sequence.

Saturday's Rainbow 6 sequence will be highlighted by six juvenile stakes. The $150,000 FSS Wildcat Heir, a mile stakes for 3-year-olds and up, will kick off the sequence in Race 6, followed by the $75,000 Hollywood Beach, a five-furlong turf sprint; the My Dear Girl, the 1 1/16-mile FSS final for fillies; the $75,000 Armed Forces, a mile turf stakes; and the In Reality, the 1 1/16-mile open-division FSS final. The $75,000 Our Dear Peggy, a mile turf race for fillies, will conclude the sequence in Race 11.

Stonehedge LLC's Breeze On By will seek to become the fifth horse to sweep the open division of the Florida Sire Stakes in the In Reality. The undefeated Ralph Nicks-trained colt, who captured the $100,000 FSS Dr. Fager and the FSS $200,000 Affirmed would join Three Rules (2016), Sir Oscar (2003), Seacliff (1995) and Smile (1984) with a triumph in the 1 1/16-mile In Reality.

Owner/trainer Daniel Pita's Princess Secret, who captured the $200,000 FSS Affirmed, and Stonehedge LLC's Go Jo Jo Go, the $100,000 Desert Vixen winner, will clash again in the My Dear Girl.

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