Tag: Horse racing news

Prat Tests Positive For COVID-19 After Returning From Keeneland

Leading Southern California jockey Flavien Prat was taken off mounts at Del Mar on Sunday after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier in the day.

Prat arrived back in the San Diego area after riding six races at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday and was required to be tested under Del Mar protocols for jockeys who travel out of town. He was given a nasal swab test by Scripps Hospital in La Jolla and notified a couple of hours later he had contracted the virus, according to his agent, Derek Lawson. Track officials said Prat was at Del Mar when he was contacted by Scripps personnel but had not arrived at the jockeys' room yet.

Prat will be be sidelined a minimum of 10 days from Monday, according to track officials, meaning he could return as soon as July 24, provided he has no symptoms.

Del Mar officials said all jockeys and jockeys' room personnel will be tested prior to the next day of racing on Friday, July 17.

Prat is the fourth jockey to ride the July 4 card at Los Alamitos in Cypress, Calif., who since tested positive for COVID-19. On July 8, Martin Garcia was required to be tested in order to ride at Indiana Grand and came up positive. He had ridden at Ellis Park July 2, Los Alamitos July 3-4 and Prairie Meadows July 5.

On July 10, Luis Saez was taken off mounts at Keeneland after a test from the previous day was positive.

Saez flew to California to ride Uncle Chuck to victory for Bob Baffert in the Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby on July 4, then rode the July 5 card at Belmont Park. He was required to be tested by New York Racing Association officials prior to riding July 5 and tested negative. Saez then rode at Indiana Grand on July 8, at Keeneland on July 9, then rode the second race at Keeneland on July 10 before being notified of his positive test and removed from his remaining mounts.

Espinoza was tested after experiencing flu-like symptoms early in the week and was taken off mounts on Del Mar's opening day, July 10. He learned that evening he was positive for COVID-19.

“It is encouraging that in both cases our protocols worked,” Del Mar CEO Joe Harper said of Prat and Espinoza's positive tests. “We will continue to be vigilant to ensure the safety of the people who work here and live in our community.”

A July 2 article from the Harvard Medical School explains that testing for COVID-19 is not foolproof.

 

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Keeneland Generates $63M in Handle

All-sources wagering during Keeneland’s five-day summer meeting, which concluded Sunday, totaled $63,299,331, with average daily all-sources handle reaching $12,659,866. Wagering was boosted by a single-day all-sources handle for Saturday’s 10-race Toyota Blue Grass card of $23,834,972, second only to the record $25,809,200 set for last year’s 11-race Blue Grass Day card. The All-Stakes Pick Five Saturday handled $1,395,051, well above the former record of $1,079,197 set on Blue Grass Day last year.

Keeneland’s first-ever summer meet was created after the track’s traditional 16-day spring meet was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was conducted without fans and with a limited number of owners in attendance.

“Horsemen and fans alike highly anticipated the Summer Meet, and their expectations were exceeded by the breathtaking level of racing we enjoyed here this week,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “I can’t express how much we missed our fans at Keeneland, and we thank them for their strong support from afar. This pandemic created a number of operational and logistical challenges for us to make this season a reality. I am so proud of the collaboration between state and local health officials, our horsemen, our corporate partners and our Keeneland team, all of whom worked tirelessly to create a safe environment on track and deliver such incredible racing.”

The post Keeneland Generates $63M in Handle appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Brown, Irad Ortiz Jr., Klaravich Stables Win Belmont Park Meet Titles

Chad Brown notched 23 wins to finish as the leading trainer at the Belmont spring/summer meet for the fifth consecutive time and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. posted 34 victories to lead all riders as the 25-day meet concluded on Sunday at Belmont Park. The meet ran from June 3 to July 12.

Klaravich Stables led all owners with 13 wins, outpacing second-place finisher Michael Dubb, who had seven victories.

Brown has been the top trainer at the Belmont spring/summer meet every year since 2016. He recorded a 23-19-8 ledger in 95 starts for his latest triumph, besting Christophe Clement [14 wins].

The spring/summer meet kicked off on June 3 marking the return of professional sports in New York, and also saw the return of live racing for the New York Racing Association, Inc, which temporarily suspended racing in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I'm really proud of our team. We had a late start to the year and it was frustrating for everybody – the staff, the owners, everybody involved,” Brown said. “Our team held it together. We had to change plans with several horses. We had to change plans with living arrangements for people on our team. Everyone had to make sacrifices and alter their life – and that's not just our stable, that's other stables, racetrack management and all around in other industries.”

NYRA's year-ending leading trainer five years running, Brown conditioned five graded stakes-winners at the spring/summer meet, starting with Rushing Fall in the Grade 3 Beaugay on June 3 and continuing with the two wins on the same day with Instilled Regard [Grade 2 Fort Marcy] and Newspaperofrecord [Grade 3 Intercontinental] on June 6. Newspaperofrecord, coming off an 11-month layoff, wheeled back three weeks later to capture the Grade 1 Just a Game on June 27.

Brown trainees ran 1-2 in the Grade 1, $400,000 Manhattan, with Instilled Regard edging stablemate Rockemperor on July 4 on Runhappy Met Mile Day.

“The Grade 1 wins stand out,” Brown said. “It was an exciting finish for two of our horses in the Manhattan and then Newspaperofrecord coming back and being able to regain her Grade 1 form are highlights of the meet. It's good momentum heading into Saratoga that we're starting to creep towards normalcy and running lots of horses on the big days and being competitive. We're going into Saratoga with good morale after a very difficult first half of 2020 for everybody.”

Ortiz Jr. was the leading rider for the second time in the last three spring/summer meets, compiling a 34-23-13 record in 128 mounts, winning at more than a 26 percent clip. He teamed with Brown for four of his five graded stakes victories of the meet, piloting Newspaperofrecord to both of his graded stakes wins and Instilled Regard to triumphs in both the Grade 3 Intercontinental and Grade 1 Manhattan.

Besides his success with Brown, Ortiz Jr. also earned a winner's circle trip for trainer Kelly Breen when he guided Firenze Fire to victory in the Grade 2 True North on June 27.

“It's good. I've been working so hard, and we've had support from everyone,” Ortiz, Jr. said. “Instilled Regard and 'Newspaper' and Firenze Fire were all good wins. We're just looking to keep going and keep moving forward in Saratoga.”

Ortiz Jr. has finished as NYRA's year-end leading jockey in 2014, 2015 and 2017. He has won the last two Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Jockey for the 2018 and 2019 campaigns. His brother, Jose Ortiz, won three races on Sunday to finish in second with 32 wins on the meet.

“I've done well in the spring here. I'm thankful to all the trainers and the owners,” Ortiz Jr. said.

Klaravich Stables, which was the year-ending leading owner on the NYRA circuit in 2019, repeated as the top owner at the Belmont spring/summer meet. Headed by Seth Klarman, Klaravich Stables posted a 13-6-5 record with 32 starters for a 40.62 winning percentage, racking up $826,8855 in earnings.

Newspaperofrecord's connections encompassed all three respective meet leaders, with Klaravich Stables campaigning him in his two graded stakes wins of the meet.

Thoroughbred action moves to historic Saratoga Race Course for the 40-day summer meet from July 16 to September 7. Featuring 71 stakes worth $14.45 million, the meet will offer 39 graded stakes and 18 Grade 1s, highlighted by the 151st renewal of the Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers on August 8 and the Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney on August 1.

 

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