Churchill to Renovate Jockey Club Suites Before 2024 Derby

Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) will “update and refresh” the Jockey Club Suites at the Louisville oval in a $14-million renovation, the company announced late Wednesday. The modernization project will be finished prior to the 2024 Kentucky Derby.

“The Jockey Club Suites are a core premium hospitality product,” said Churchill President Mike Anderson. “This renovation project will ensure existing and future suite holders are provided the entertainment experience Churchill Downs is known for and our guests have come to expect for Kentucky Derby Week and all other racing events.”

All 61 suites, common spaces, dining rooms, and restrooms located on the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors as part of the area are included in the renovation. Originally constructed in 2004, the Jockey Club Suites seat approximately 2,500 guests and also serve as a premium rentable space for special events throughout the year.

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Facelift in Store for Saratoga, New Synthetic Track for Belmont Park

The main takeaway from Wednesday's meeting of the New York State Franchise Oversight Board is that the Saratoga Race Course and Belmont Park of today will look quite different by the end of 2024, with the bulk of the meeting spent outlining a series of proposed and ongoing capital improvement projects, which the board approved.

Arguably the news of most significance is planned installation of a new one-mile synthetic track to the inside of Belmont Park's inner turf course. This synthetic surface–the specific material of which is currently unknown–will serve as a fourth racing surface at the facility.

At the end of last year, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) finished installation of the Tapeta Footings synthetic surface at the facility's pony track.

Glen Kozak, NYRA executive vice president of operations and capital projects, explained that the initial positive feedback to this surface from the horsemen helped cement the decision to install the second synthetic surface at Belmont Park.

“The feedback from the horsemen has been excellent,” said Kozak, who explained how even in very inclement weather, training delays have been minimized.

On one day last week, “we got an inch and a half of wet snow that finished up as sleet, and we delayed training,” said Kozak. After removing the wet snow and working the track, “in a matter of 45 minutes, we had it available for training.”

With work recently completed on a vehicular tunnel accessing the Belmont infield, this opens the door to simultaneous renovation of the inner turf course when the facility's 2023 spring-summer meet concludes in July.

Work on both the inner turf track and the new synthetic surface are expected to be completed by spring of 2024.

According to the NYRA representatives, the new synthetic track's primary race-day purpose is to provide a viable option during the harsh winter months. However, it will also be used as a substitute during the summer months when racing is taken off the turf.

Other construction projects outlined for Belmont include a new backstretch dormitory near the existing two such buildings.

“What we're proposing is a single-story dorm, double-sided,” said Kozak, who added NYRA doesn't have the final specifications for the building yet, but that it would be “consistent” with dorm number two. “We'd like to get to 100 beds,” he added. “Three occupants per room.”

The plan, said Kozak, is to ultimately decommission some of the older existing living quarters.

Separately, NYRA plans to make upgrades and refurbishments to certain barns, including the quarantine barn. The barn area fire alarm system will be modernized. Another plan, said Kozak, is to connect the entire backstretch with Wi-Fi.

These projects form part of NYRA's multi-year, $40-million renovation and modernization initiative at both Belmont and Saratoga.

Over at Saratoga, NYRA will construct a new residential building adjacent to the lowlands on the Oklahoma training track side of the facility. This follows approval of the designs from the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation.

In addition, NYRA will continue renovations to existing housing on both the Oklahoma and main track sides of the facility.

Other projects include planned restoration of the “Resident Manager's House,” refurbishment of the grandstand and clubhouse, additional spa verandas near the existing ones, and construction of a new hospitality area near the Wilson Chute.

Interestingly, NYRA is looking to replace the temporary tent where horses are saddled with a permanent building due to the “safety issues” inherent with the current structure. “It's basically a tent built over wooden stalls,” said Kozak.

The saddling stalls are “probably the most visible spot on the track,” said Kozak. While plans are fluid, the intent is to use rubberized paver on the floor, enlarge the area at the front, and design a barrier to muffle traffic noise from behind.

“We've already engaged Saratoga Preservation to go over and get feedback from them,” Kozak said.

Earlier in the meeting, David O'Rourke, NYRA president and chief executive officer, announced plans for a single admission price at Saratoga of $10 a day, or $7 when purchased in advance.

The thinking behind the idea, O'Rourke said, was to give fans access to the entire property rather than just the clubhouse or grandstand.

In Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA)-related news, the Franchise Oversight Board remarked how NYRA already conducts an out-of-competition (OOC) program alongside the state's drug testing program.

When asked if NYRA will continue that OOC testing program when HISA goes into effect later this month, O'Rourke said that NYRA “will continue it in collaboration” with the new federal authority.

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NY Gov. Hochul Includes Belmont Renovation in Budget Proposal

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has officially announced support for a plan by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) to modernize the racing facilities at Belmont Park. The plan has been included as part of the Fiscal Year 2024 Executive Budget Proposal.

“Horse racing in New York State has a champion in Governor Kathy Hochul, who clearly recognizes the important role the sport plays within the New York economy,” said NYRA President and CEO David O'Rourke. “Belmont Park stands at the center of the statewide racing ecosystem, and the project to re-imagine the facility will create jobs, drive tourism to the region, and secure the future of Thoroughbred racing across the state. The time is right to build a new Belmont Park for the benefit of New York State and we look forward to working with our legislative partners to ensure the Governor's proposal is enacted.”

The proposal includes a $455-million, multi-year project with a modern grandstand which includes hospitality offerings and amenities. NYRA is also committed to updating facilities for the backstretch community, including the construction of new housing, as well as utilizing Belmont's 45-acre infield for a variety of community uses.

The project to build a new Belmont Park is expected to generate $1 billion in construction-related economic activity, create 3,700 construction jobs, sustain $155 million in new annual economic impact, and support 740 new full-time jobs.

Belmont Park was last renovated in 1968.

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UC Davis Vet Hospital Updates And Expands Equine Reproduction Space

The UC Davis veterinary hospital's Equine Reproduction Service has a newly renovated clinical teaching and research space at the school's Center for Equine Health. Dean Michael Lairmore, Executive Associate Dean John Pascoe, and Executive Assistant Dean Mary McNally officially unveiled the newly renovated space, which includes four custom-designed stocks and all new flooring. The Equine Reproduction Service team, led by Service Chief Dr. Ghislaine Dujovne and newly acquired faculty member Dr. Pouya Dini, also has a new student meeting space and expanded laboratory as part of the renovation.

Improvements to the Equine Reproduction Service facilities were funded by the school's Dean's Office, which saw the benefit the new space will offer to students and clients. The adjacent laboratory and clinical spaces offer “benchtop to bedside” clinical translation – a hallmark of the future Veterinary Medical Center and a major advantage of seeking treatment at a teaching hospital.

“We are grateful to Dean Lairmore and his office for providing the funding for this space,” said Dr. Carrie Finno, director of the Center for Equine Health. “This project has been more than a year in the making, starting before the pandemic began. It is a tremendous asset for students and residents training here at the Center, and also provides top-notch facilities for our clients.”

The Equine Reproduction Service provides routine and advanced equine reproductive care, including artificial insemination, ultrasonographic pregnancy diagnosis, fertility evaluation, semen collection and evaluation, transvaginal aspiration of oocytes, and embryo transfer.

“This new space gives our service a more efficient place to teach and practice,” said Dujovne. “The opportunities for students in this new treatment and research area will increase significantly, improving the quality of their education in equine reproduction.”

Read more here.

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