Shared News | Horse Racing Free Tips

Riders Up Documentary Takes Look Behind Scenes at “First Sports Bubble”

As the realities of the coronavirus started to spread across California and the country, the team at Santa Anita wasn’t sure how to prepare for what could have quickly escalated into a dire situation for the track and the sport. But what began as a scramble of sorts led to a well-coordinated plan. Racing would successfully return to the historic Southern California track and with an innovative wrinkle. During the racing week, the jockeys were required to live in a bubble in campers situated on track. What might at first have seemed to be an imposition quickly turned into a collegial summer camp for the riders.

“If you have to do something like this, this is the way to do it. I’d like to say life in quarantine is pretty tough, but I’d be lying like crazy,” jockey Mike Smith says.

Santa Anita was shut down by the coronavirus following the Mar. 22 card but returned May 15 and the meet was completed without any serious setbacks. How it did so is the subject of the entertaining documentary from NBC Sports Network “Riders Up. The First Sports Bubble.” (Click here for a preview.)

While horse racing has figured out how to operate during a global pandemic, that wasn’t the case when COVID-19 started to upend life as we know it. As “Riders Up” begins, the management team at Santa Anita is considering the worst-case scenarios

“We started seeing the news day by day get worse and we realized businesses were going to start being put out of business for the time being,” said Stronach Group Executive Director of California Operations Aidan Butler. “Unlike any other business, the racetrack is like a town. Eight hundred people live here. Eighteen hundred horses live here. It’s not like any other business. That was the realization that we could have a real crisis on our hands. A little bit of panic set in across the group here.”

This was a case where panic turned into the mother of invention.

“At that point it was ‘What are we going to do?'” Butler said. “We have to make a decision here. We can start to ask animals to leave here and people to start to get out and try to get it to an amount that was controllable or double down and try to get her open as quick as we could.”

The horses and the backstretch community were the easy part. There was plenty of room to accommodate them and because the horses needed to be cared for, there was never any serous question about allowing the backstretch workers to continue on as normal. The jockeys were the bigger issue. Should they be brought back and then, had some of them tested positive, racing would have likely had to be shut down again. It was decided to house them on track in RV’s that were normally used on movie and television sets that had been closed due to the pandemic.

“We built a small city in a matter of a week,” said Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager Nate Newby.

Santa Anita’s bubble would be the first of its kind in sports, a precursor to what the NBA and the NHL would do with their players once they resumed playing.

“I certainly had concerns,” Smith said. “What’s going to happen? Are we going to be close to everybody? Are we going to be piled into a room all together? Is it going to be a little bit scary?”

Understanding that confinement can be stifling, Santa Anita set out to make things as enjoyable as possible for the jockeys. With Butler and Newby acting as head counselors, there was a 50th birthday party for veteran Aaron Gryder, karaoke, poker, movie night and group dinners. The jockeys, who usually go their separate way after the races are over, bonded.

“It was a great time being with the guys,” jockey Edwin Maldonado said. “Like being in a man cave.”

It worked. By the time the meet ended without further interruption on June 21, over 1,000 COVID-19 tests had been administered to jockeys and essential employees. Not one jockey or racing employee tested positive.

Riders Up will air Friday on NBC Sports Network at 3 p.m. PT and will be shown again Saturday at 9:30 a.m. PT. It was produced by the Hennegan Brothers.RIdTTaea

The post Riders Up Documentary Takes Look Behind Scenes at “First Sports Bubble” appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Governor Signs Horse Racing Safety Bills in California

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa Tuesday to improve horse racing safety across California and build on reforms adopted last year. Additionally, the governor signed a second horse racing bill, co-authored by Sen. Dodd and Assembly member Adam Gray, D-Merced, incorporating recommendations from the California Horse Racing Board.
“The horse racing industry must accept and adopt forward-thinking solutions as the health and welfare of the sport’s human and equine athletes are paramount to their future in California,” said Gov. Newsom. “These bills are an essential step to create a safer and more transparent horse racing experience for everyone involved and can serve as a model for other states to follow.”
“Making horse racing safer for horses and jockeys is critical for the future of this sport,” Sen. Dodd said. “Thanks to Gov. Newsom for signing my bill, which will help ensure track conditions are right and horses are fit before they hit the starting gate.”
In 2019, Sen. Dodd wrote Senate Bill 469 and followed this year with Senate Bill 800, which incorporates reforms recommended by the CHRB, including improved veterinary medical review prior to races and increased transparency in drug testing. The second bill, AB 1974, provides additional safeguards.

The post Governor Signs Horse Racing Safety Bills in California appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Kentucky to Consider Whip Penalty Changes

The penalty structure for the new slate of restrictive whipping regulations passed by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) back on June 16 appears to be on its way to an overhaul after the KHRC Rules Committee unanimously voted Sept. 29 to present a “days instead of dollars” system to the full board for reconsideration.

In essence, a series of escalating disciplinary actions will replace the suspension-plus-fine system that was originally based on a percentage of the purse being taken away from riders who violate the “six underhanded strikes per race” rule (with only two of those strikes allowed in succession and with whipping in the first furlong of races not counting against the six strikes).

On Tuesday, committee members debated whether removing the monetary fines would provide enough of a deterrent to keep jockeys from violating the new rules, which have not yet gone into effect. They also discussed how the Kentucky penalty structure might or might not contribute to nationwide uniformity, as a number of other jurisdictions are also in the midst of implementing new anti-whipping rules.

Trainer Wesley Ward, a retired champion jockey, told fellow committee members that, “I don’t think that fining them is going to make any difference at all. The days is what really stops things.

“I’ve been in both situations,” Ward continued. “As a rider, you’re getting down into the race, and if you can hit [your mount] they win. [So] I think a lot depends on the rider and the significance of the race. That’s number one. And when you talk about the [GI] Kentucky Derby, you’re not going to stop the guys [from whipping beyond the rules]. They’re going to take a [suspension] or whatever if they feel they need to do that to win the race. Now on an everyday Wednesday or Thursday, I think they’re going to adhere to the rules.”

Rules Committee chair Mark Simendinger candidly admitted that, “I guess my feeling is that the chances of us getting this right the first time is probably not real high. I would just like to get started and see how it goes. And once we start seeing whether it’s working or not working it’s going to become more apparent to us what we have to do to make the changes that we have to.”

The KHRC’s Safety and Welfare Committee will next need to sign off on the changes, with the full commission likely voting on the new penalties at its Oct. 20 meeting.

According to an edited and redlined set of the new proposed penalties, seven or more strikes of a horse by a riding crop in a race shall result in penalties as follows:

First offense: a verbal warning.

Second offense: One to three-day suspension (discretion of the stewards, for this item and those below).

Third offense: Three to five-day suspension.

Fourth offense: Five to 10-day suspension.

Fifth offense: 10 to 15-day suspension

Sixth offense or more: Up to one-year suspension.

The stewards will retain the discretion to assess a suspension of up to one year for an egregious misuse of the crop, regardless of the number of times that the jockey struck the horse or the number of times that the jockey or driver had previously violated this regulation.

If a jockey rides for six consecutive months without a crop violation in any jurisdiction, then his or her penalty schedule is reset, such that subsequent crop violations will constitute a first offense.

The stewards and commission shall consider any mitigating or aggravating circumstances properly presented when assessing penalties pursuant to this administrative regulation.

A rider cannot receive multiple disciplinary actions on the same race card without verbal confirmation of any prior rule violations by the stewards. Failure of prior notice will result in a single violation recorded for the race card.

A suspension may be increased if it is determined that an appeal of stewards’ ruling under this regulation is deemed “frivolous.”

The post Kentucky to Consider Whip Penalty Changes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Breeders’ Cup Launches 12th Betting Challenge

Registration for the 12th Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC), which will be held in conjunction with the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland Racecourse Nov. 6-7, is now available at www.breedersCup.com/BCBC. This year’s BCBC total cash prize pool is expected to be $1 million based upon a minimum of 400 players registered. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, players will not be able to participate at Keeneland this year. All BCBC tournament play will be conducted online at www.TVG.com, the official Breeders’ Cup wagering partner, www.Xpressbet.com, NYRA Bets and at designated satellite locations at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., and Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Fl. Additional satellite locations, such as Santa Anita Park and Del Mar in California, will be announced at a later date if they are able to host players.

For the 2020 BCBC, a $2,500 buy-in and $7,500 betting bankroll ($10,000 total) are required of each player. All buy-in monies are applied to the prize pool. Players can bet into the Win, Place, Show, Exacta, Trifecta and Daily Double pools with their $7,500 bankroll over the two days and keep all monies earned from their betting.

“The excitement and prestige of playing in the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge continues to grow as the ultimate test in live-money Thoroughbred racing tournaments, with horseplayers tackling the large and ultra-competitive fields of the World Championships races,” said Tim Schram, BCBC Tournament Director.

Additionally, the 2020 BCBC will feature a $3 million National Horseplayer Champion (NHC) Tour bonus that will be awarded to any horseplayer who wins the BCBC and the NTRA Horseplayers Championship (NHC) in January 2021. As part of a reciprocal agreement with the NHC, Thomas Goldsmith, winner of this year’s NHC in February, is eligible for a $3-million bonus should he win this year’s BCBC. Players can earn free entry into the BCBC by winning a BCBC Qualifying Tournament. For details on upcoming live and online qualifying tournaments, go to www.Horseplayers.com.

In the 2019 BCBC, a record 457 players entered the competition and Brad Anderson of Sarasota, Fl. won after making a $25,900 wager on 9-2 Vino Rosso in the Longines GI Breeders’ Cup Classic, the final race of the tournament. Anderson finished with a total score of 145,040 points and, with a first-place prize of $343,000, saw total winnings of $488,040.

The post Breeders’ Cup Launches 12th Betting Challenge appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post