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‘The Rule Is Not Changing’: Monmouth Threatens To Ban Jockeys Who Refuse Mounts On Opening Day

This Friday marks opening day at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, NJ, as well as the first time the new state-mandated whip rules will be in effect. These are the strictest whip rules in the United States, allowing jockeys to only use the crop for reasons of safety.

According to bloodhorse.com, Monmouth has threatened that jockeys who refuse mounts on Friday will not be allowed to ride at the track for the remainder of the 2021 meet.

“We are having a problem with guys who have been on the backstretch all monthlong working horses and have calls and are now they are saying they won't ride Friday but they will ride Saturday,” John Heims, director of racing and racing secretary at Monmouth, told bloodhorse.com. “We are not going to let people stick it to us and cost us money by canceling racing. If you feel unsafe Friday, how are you safe Saturday? If it's unsafe and you don't want to ride, I get it. No one is asking you to do something you are uncomfortable doing. The rule is not changing, so if you will not ride Friday since you believe it's unsafe, why would you ride any other day?”

Entries for Friday's card close Tuesday. Heim said he has 12 jockeys lined up to ride Friday, and that a trio of jockeys serving suspensions through Friday (Paco Lopez, Nik Juarez, and Ferrin Peterson) will not be affected by the ban.

Classical Wave Sells For 240,000 Guineas At Tattersalls Online May 25th Sale

The fourth Tattersalls Online Sale continued the success of earlier editions with the 240,000 guineas sale of Classical Wave representing a record price for a colt/gelding in training on the Tattersalls Online platform.

A total of 19 lots sold for 493,800 guineas at the Tattersalls Online May 25th Sale with the number of registered bidders increasing by 29 percent on the previous online sale with buyers from as far afield as Bahrain, Italy and the UAE.

The Peter Charalambous trained Classical Wave was the star attraction on the online sale following two victories and two seconds from his last four starts. Rated 103 by 'Timeform' the son of Gleneagles is from a classic Juddmonte family and is a half-brother to the Classic-placed Weekender and the listed-placed Media Stream. His sale price of 240,000 guineas is second only to the £420,000 given for West End Girl on the Tattersalls Online platform.

Successful purchaser Oliver St Lawrence commented; “He's been purchased on behalf of Fawzi Nass with the Bahrain International and the King's Cup next year in mind. He looks a progressive horse and he may have a run or two in Britain over the summer.

On using the online platform he added; “It's the first time I've used Tattersalls Online and I found the whole process very easy and efficient.”

The second highest price for the sale was 75,000 guineas for the high-class National Hunt mare Vegas Blue who was knocked down to Coolmara Stables' Kieran Mariga. The 6-year-old daughter of Getaway was the winner of a listed National Hunt Flat race at Huntingdon for Nicky Henderson and owners Crimbourne Bloodstock. She is out of a half-sister to the five-time Grade 1 winner Bellshill and was offered in foal to Nathaniel.

Successful purchaser Kieran Mariga said;

“The mare was bred a mile away from us and has a good pedigree with siblings including a full-brother to come. She's obviously a Listed winner which we try to buy and I thought her cover by Nathaniel was a great cover and am delighted with our purchase.”

Regarding the Tattersalls Online platform, Mariga added;

“I was really impressed with the online sale process, although the heart rate was up in the last five minutes. Tattersalls and Jamie Codd and the vendors were all excellent in providing information and updates about the sale and I have confidence that the system is very fair. I am delighted.”

Trainer Andrew Balding consigned three lots to the sale and the Park House Stables draft realized 53,000 guineas. He commented; “I'm delighted to have supported the online sale and am so pleased with the results achieved. The Tattersalls Online platform represents a cost-effective and easy way to sell horses and I will continue to support it.”

After the conclusion of the Tattersalls Online May 25th Sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented;
“The Tattersalls Online platform continues to grow with a new record for a colt/gelding in training of 240,000 guineas for Classical Wave and a head-to head battle between Middle Eastern and Australian interests. The number of interested bidders continues to increase as does the quality and quantity of the horses on offer. This is only the fourth Tattersalls Online Sale and the positive response from both vendors and purchasers is encouraging for the future development of Tattersalls Online Sales which have already clearly demonstrated their appeal to domestic and international buyers.”

The next two sales scheduled to take place on the Tattersalls Online platform are on June 29 and Aug. 17.

The June 29 sale takes place just ten days after Royal Ascot and provides an ideal option to bring a horse to market following the completion of the Royal Meeting. The sale is open to all stock including flat and National Hunt performers. Further dates for Tattersalls Online sales will be announced in due course.

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Additional H-2B Visas Available For Second Half Of Federal Fiscal Year

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a joint temporary final rule that was published today in the Federal Register and offers 22,000 additional H-2B visas to employers for the second half of the federal fiscal year that ends on September 30, 2021. These visas are used by employers, such as racehorse trainers, who seek seasonal guest workers. They are capped at 66,000 annually, with an even split of 33,000 available for each half of the federal government's fiscal year. Six thousand of these supplemental visas will be reserved for nationals of the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

“The 22,000 H-2B visas offered through this rule issued by the DHS and DOL will be helpful to employers who rely on the H-2B visa program, including trainers, but many more of these visas are ultimately required to satisfy the need,” said NTRA President and CEO Alex Waldrop. “For that reason, the NTRA, through its involvement in the H-2B Workforce Coalition, supports additional relief from the burdensome annual H-2B visa cap through a permanent returning worker exemption.”

Employers can find eligibility and filing details here.

This past December, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 became law and included a provision that provides the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with the discretionary authority to release an additional 64,176 H-2B visas when significant need is demonstrated. The NTRA supports all efforts to make additional visas available to seasonal businesses struggling with labor issues.

The H-2B visa guest worker program is a nonimmigrant visa program used by many industries that need temporary non-agricultural help when domestic workers are unavailable. For the horse racing industry, trainers rely heavily on the H-2B program to fill various backside positions.

Demand for H-2B visas often exceeds their availability and the cap level is quickly reached, leaving employers in need. For the second half of federal fiscal year 2021, DHS announced that by February 12 it had received enough H-2B worker petitions to reach the congressionally mandated cap of 33,000 visas allotted.

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Jockey Jose Riquelme Celebrates 1,000th Winner

Jose Riquelme, part of the jockey colony at Indiana Grand for the past five seasons, celebrated his 1,000th career win over the weekend. Born in Peru, Riquelme has been closing in on the milestone this spring.

“I'm very happy to get this milestone,” said Riquelme. “I want to thank all the trainers and owners along the way that have supported me and given me the opportunity to ride.”

Riquelme began his riding career in his native Peru at Hipodromo de Monterrico in Lima in 1992. He moved his tack to the United States in 2000 and has enjoyed success through several circuits including New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Louisiana. He has been riding the summer months in Indiana since 1997 and now calls Indiana home with his wife, Gregoria, and daughter, Nathalia, along with their son, Jose.

Riquelme rode the winter at Fair Grounds in New Orleans where he won 28 races and finished in the top 10 among the leading jockeys. With limited starts this season at Indiana Grand in the first month of action, he has already earned three wins in 12 starts to help push him over the milestone.

The biggest win for Riquelme came in 2015 aboard Hard Aces for trainer Larry Jones in the Louisiana Handicap at Fair Grounds. The multiple stakes winning jockey has earned in excess of $19 million during his career in the United States.

Riquelme was joined by his wife, Gregoria, and daughter, Nathalia, for the winner's circle presentation. Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing, helped honor Riquelme for his latest accomplishment.

The 19th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing is now in progress and continues through Monday, Nov. 8. Live racing is conducted at 2:25 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, with first post on Thursday set at 3:25 p.m. A special Indiana Champions Day highlighting the state's top Thoroughbred and Quarter Horses will be held Saturday, Oct. 30, beginning at noon. More information about the 2021 racing season is available at www.caesars.com/indiana-grand.

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