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Decreases to Indiana 2020 Breeding Program Approved

The Indiana Horse Racing Commission approved cuts to the state’s Thoroughbred breeding program during a virtual meeting last week. With casino closures and the potential for reduced revenues once reopened, funding available for the state’s breeding program decreased significantly. The new projected revenue is estimated to be around $8.2 million, according to a release from the racing commission.

Purses for Indiana-bred stakes have been reduced across the board, with the six Indiana Signature Stakes, typically worth $150,000, reduced to $100,000, and the other 22 restricted Indiana-bred and Indiana-sired stakes to be contested at $75,000. In total, the restricted stakes will pay more than $2 million in 2020.

In addition, the Indiana Breeders Awards percentage will remain at 2019 levels.

“Going into this year’s racing program, we were excited to offer a program with many enhancements; however, due to the unique situation we are now in, many of those elements had to be put on hold until the 2021 program,” said Jessica Barnes, Director of Racing and Breed Development for the Indiana Horse Racing Commission. “I’m thankful the tracks, horsemen’s groups and commission were able to all come together to offer the best program we could during these unprecedented times.”

Barnes continued, “If we get a month or two into the reopening, and projections are better than what we have forecasted, we have the flexibility to go back to the commission with a revised proposal. This is a fluid situation, and our program has the ability to adjust in a manner that will best benefit our breeders, owners and trainers.”

Indiana Grand Racing & Casino was originally scheduled to open Apr. 14, but the track and the backside were closed due to the statewide COVID-19 pandemic quarantine Mar. 16. With approval from the Governor’s Office, the Indiana Horse Racing Commission recently released a phased approach to begin horse racing in Indiana, with the backside of the tracks now open. The plan calls for racing to commence at the two pari-mutuel tracks the week of June 16 without spectators. If there is no change to Governor Holcomb’s “Back on Track Indiana” plan, spectators will be able to return to the tracks July 4.

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Fans Return to Charles Town June 22

Charles Town Races will reopen the first floor of its grandstand for live racing and simulcasting operations beginning June 22 at noon following an order made Sunday by West Virginia Governor Jim Justice allowing patrons at live sporting events starting on that date. Closed to racing spectators since March, Charles Town will also be reopening its trackside apron for live racing programs.

Among the safety protocals put in place, the track has implemented signage to encourage social distancing. Mutuel windows and self-service terminals will be configured to meet social distancing requirements and will be thoroughly and regularly cleaned and sanitizer stations will be readily available throughout the facility. Track employees will be required to wear masks and will undergo a health screening each day, including temperature checks, prior to their shift. Guests will be encouraged to wear masks and must respond to a verbal health screening prior to entry to the property.

Charles Town hosts live racing Thursday through Saturday with a first post time of 7 p.m. Full-day simulcasting from tracks around the country will take place from Thursday through Sunday.

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Anna House Set to Reopen June 22

The Belmont Child Care Association (BCCA) is set to reopen its Belmont Park daycare center Anna House June 22 with strict new safety protocols in place. The childcare and early-childhood education facility designed for the families of backstretch workers, most of whom are based at Belmont Park, has been closed since Mar. 17 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Teachers and staff at the facility are currently undergoing training on the new protocols, which will utilize the health guidance established by the New York State Department of Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (C.D.C.) and BCCA’s educational consultant, Bright Horizons, to combat the spread of COVID-19.

The facility will also incorporate opportunities for distance learning and at-home instruction.

“Virtual learning is a part of the ‘new norm,’ and we are committed to providing our children with the support they need to achieve success in school,” BCCA Executive Director Joanne K. Adams said.

While Anna House was closed, BCCA staff organized a drive to collect supplies for infants and toddlers who attend its education facility. Adams also worked with United Way of Long Island through its United Together Response Fund for COVID-19 to distribute donated gift cards, totaling more than $30,000 in value, to all backstretch workers at Belmont Park.

“Giving a solid head start to the children at Anna House is critically important to the whole ecosystem of the racetrack,” BCCA Board Chairman and co-founder Michael Dubb said. “Backstretch workers are the unsung heroes of the racing world. Helping their kids helps them and makes our industry and sport a lot stronger. It’s great to be getting back to what we do best.”

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The Week in Review: Why Jerry Bailey is No Fan of the Whip

The whip issue, which never seems to go away, was front and center last week as the California Horse Racing Board approved language that would severely limit the use of the whip. Under the new rules, horses can be hit on the shoulders and hindquarters, no more than two times in a row without waiting for a response and no more than six times total.

That led the Jockeys’ Guild to issue a stinging press release that expressed its displeasure with the new rules, calling the new rules “unsafe” and arguing that they “jeopardize the integrity of the sport.” The Guild also said the decision was typical of a sport that “has a long history of disrespect for jockeys, going back many, many decades.”

Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey no longer has a dog in this fight. Though a former president of the Jockeys’ Guild, he’s been retired since 2006. But his opinion should matter. Not only did he ride in over 30,000 races, but, as an analyst on NBC’s racing broadcasts, he has been able to take a step back and observe racing from something other than an insider’s view. Trying his best to understand all sides of the issue, he keeps landing in the same place. Bailey doesn’t agree with his former colleagues. He says racing would be better off if whips were not allowed.

“If I were still riding, I’d probably have a different attitude,” he said. “I was probably a jockey who used the whip more than I should have. I see it from a different perspective now. I see it from somebody on the other side of the fence.”

Bailey agrees with the current riders when they say the new padded whips don’t hurt the horses, but he says the issue is bigger than that. What Bailey sees now, but couldn’t when he was riding, is a sport that has a difficult time explaining to the public why whips are necessary.

“I have heard from many people outside the sport and they say that if those horses really love to run like you say they do, then why do you whip them?” Bailey said. “That’s what I hear. I am not talking about core fans, but many people, people who watch five or six races a year, tell me they find it offensive that horses are being whipped. Are they right or wrong? I don’t know. But that’s what they think and how they feel.”

Bailey said that racing is losing out on the opportunity to cultivate new fans because of the whip.

“If we can do away with the whip and that leads to drawing in fans who are now offended by it, that’s a small price to pay,” he said.

Whips have been part of racing since the beginning because it is assumed that their use can make the horse try harder and run faster. Bailey says that just isn’t the case.

“I have said for probably seven or eight years now, that I only had a very small percentage of horses run faster when hit,” he said. “It only works on a very few. Most horses give you all they have without hitting them. I don’t think the times of races would change much if you didn’t have whips. If everybody were on a level playing field, I don’t think a significant number of horses would be at a disadvantage. I think you would do fine without them.”

The Guild’s chief complaint with efforts to take the whip out of racing is the safety factor. Riders say the sport becomes more dangerous without the whip.

“We will continue to fight for the livelihoods and safety for our members and the betterment of our sport,” the Guild said in its statement.

Again, Bailey does not agree.

“I feel the reins are the best tool to keep your horse straight,” Bailey said. “Absolutely and without a doubt, the reins are your steering mechanism, not your whip. There are jockeys who feel you need the whip as a safety device. If a horse is out of control and is going to go over one fence or another or go over a pack of heels in a race the whip is not going to help you. You need to use the reins in that case. The reins are the tools to use and in my opinion, the whip is not going to do you much good.”

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