The Biz | Horse Racing Free Tips

Downs After Dark Returns To Churchill Saturday With ‘Country Saloon’ Theme

Kick up your boots, y'all, and get ready to enjoy a hot country night as the popular Downs After Dark presented by Budweiser returns in earnest to Churchill Downs on Saturday night at 6 p.m. (all times Eastern).

The theme for Saturday night's Downs After Dark is “Country Saloon” as Churchill Downs goes Southwest. Guests are encouraged to dust off the boots and cowboy hats for a western-inspired look.

The spacious 30,000-square-foot Plaza adjacent to the saddling paddock will be the heartbeat of the party. There will be live music on the Plaza Stage throughout the night, including Kyle Eldridge & The Kentucky Cowhands from 5:30-8 p.m. and a mix of new country and pop by Bourbon Straights from 8:30-11:30 p.m. Also, there will be line dancing with professional dancers from Dance Louisville to put guests in a country state of mind.

Guests also will be able to take pictures in front of murals created by local artists inspired by Austin, Texas' iconic street art, and there will be video projections of Western scenes on the facades of Churchill Downs' clubhouse once the sun sets.

BBQ is the featured culinary option, and special Margarita and Paloma cocktails will be served.

Admission gates will open Saturday at 5 p.m. and the first of 11 races will begin at 6 p.m. The final race will be 11:10 p.m. and the on-track party will continue in the Plaza area until 11:30 p.m. The last call for alcohol will be post time for the final race of night.

Saturday's marquee entertainment event is paired with stellar stakes racing action: the $150,000 Winning Colors (Grade 3), a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares, and the $110,000 Keertana Overnight Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 ½ miles on turf.

According to the National Weather Service, Saturday's forecast calls for mostly sunny skies with a high near 88. The low will be around 64.

General admission to Downs After Dark is $12 and it includes a reserved seat on the first floor and official program. No one under the age of 18 will be admitted to the track unless they are accompanied by a parent or responsible adult. Limited premium dining packages are available starting at $69 per person. Outdoor-third floor box seats are on sale for $27 per person. Reserved seating can be purchased online at www.ChurchillDowns.com/Tickets.

The post Downs After Dark Returns To Churchill Saturday With ‘Country Saloon’ Theme appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Ontario: Quarter Horse Industry Eligible For Equine Benefit Payments

Ontario Racing is pleased to announce that Quarter Horse horsepeople will have the opportunity to access certain purse funds that remain available under the Long-Term Funding Agreement with Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) in the event that live racing at Ajax Downs is suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funds made available in the form of equine support payments correlate directly to Long-Term Funding Agreement purse funds that have been foregone as a result of the lockdown measures from the cancelled May race days. If live racing is still prohibited under provincial orders related to COVID-19 at the end of May, a new round of funding may be available to Quarter Horse horsepeople (subject to approvals) with new requirements for eligibility. Information pertaining to a potential benefit payment beyond May will be provided in a subsequent communication.

The aforementioned funds were already committed to the industry through the Long Term-Funding Agreement for Live Horse Racing between Ontario Racing and OLG.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario Racing created a task force, as it did during the spring lockdown in 2020, to address the financial impacts to horse racing in Ontario.

“We are pleased to be in a position to offer these equine benefit payments to the Quarter Horse industry,” said John Hayes, Chair, Ontario Horse Racing. “From the onset of the pandemic last spring, Ontario Racing, along with OLG, and industry representatives, have worked diligently to assist horsepeople across the province whose livelihoods have been affected by COVID-19.”

Eligibility Requirements

Horses are currently stabled in the province of Ontario; 3 YO and older horses are in active training for the upcoming 2021 Quarter Horse season at Ajax Downs as verified by the Quarter Horse Task Force.
Horses must have made a start during the 2020 racing season as verified on Equibase. 3 and 4 YO horses that did not make a start during 2020 but were in training during 2020 may apply. Approval is at the discretion of the Quarter Horse Task Force and supporting documentation may be required.
Horses meeting this criterion must apply for eligible equine welfare payments using the below application form.

Application form:

The Quarter Horse Equine Benefit application for this payment can be found here (Application Form). The deadline to submit your application to Ontario Racing is May 28, 2021. All mailed applications must be postmarked by May 28, 2021 in order to be deemed eligible. Please email or mail completed applications to:

Attn: Karen Allen – kallen@ontarioracing.com
Ontario Racing Management
555 Rexdale Boulevard
Toronto, ON
M9W 5L2

Important Notes:
·       All payments received must be used for the care and maintenance of Quarter Horse horses.
·       Any horse receiving assistance under this program must be in the province of Ontario. Horses that are trained by an AGCO licensed Trainer who predominantly races at Ajax Downs but are not stabled in Ontario may apply. Approval is at the discretion of the Quarter Horse Task Force. Horses approved under this criterion will be required to race at Ajax Downs for the entire 2021 meet, if approved to receive funding.
·       Once racing resumes in Ontario, horses who have received benefits under this program MUST make their first start at an Ontario Quarter Horse racetrack.
·       Ontario Racing reserves the right to request additional information to ensure all criteria has been met. Those receiving benefits under the program could be subject to an audit by Ontario Racing. Failure to meet the criteria will result in all amounts being repaid to Ontario Racing.
·       All decisions are at the discretion of Ontario Racing and are ABSOLUTE and FINAL.
·       Horses are currently under the care of an AGCO licensed trainer at the time the application is submitted.

The post Ontario: Quarter Horse Industry Eligible For Equine Benefit Payments appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Wide-Ranging Gambling Legislation Poised To Pass During Florida Special Session

Gambling legislation is racing through Florida's House and Senate during a special session in Tallahassee that would permit the Seminole tribe to operate sports betting and allow decoupling of card rooms and casinos from Quarter Horse racing and jai-alai operations.

According to multiple reports, the Senate approved a 30-year compact between the state and the Seminoles that will guarantee $500 million to the state for the first five years. The tribe can offer sports betting at its casinos along with mobile sports wagering. Pari-mutuel operations can contract with the Seminoles to accept sports wagering and split revenue on a 60/40 basis.

An original version of the decoupling bill included all non-Thoroughbred tracks, but a last-minute amendment in a House committee removed Standardbred tracks from the language. That could breathe new life into harness racing at Isle Casino at Pompano Park, the state's only Standardbred facility.

Caesars, the track's owner, may have another option to end harness racing by pairing its casino license with a jai-alai permit, similar to how Churchill Downs Inc. has ended racing at the former Calder Race Course (now Gulfstream Park West) by acquiring a dormant jai-alai permit.

The decoupling bill means that Churchill Downs Inc. could continue to operate its Calder Casino without conducting pari-mutuel jai-alai games. There are at least four other jai-alai facilities in the state.

Casinos or card rooms at Florida greyhound tracks already were decoupled after a ballot initiative made the sport illegal at the end of 2020. The new legislation that is poised to be approved on Wednesday will allow all jai-alai frontons and horse tracks that have offered amateurish Quarter Horse match races to put an end to those events. That includes Oxford Downs south of Ocala, Hialeah Park near Miami and facilities in Gadsden, Hamilton and Hillsborough County.

Thoroughbred tracks are not allowed to decouple from their casino or card room operations, meaning racing at Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs is protected for now. However, the Thoroughbred tracks are put at a financial disadvantage compared with the casinos and card rooms that will be decoupled (and no longer required to operate racing or jai-alai).

UK: Jockey Plans To Appeal Seven-Day Ban For Ride Aboard Wayward 2-Year-Old

Jockey Jason Watson plans to appeal a seven-day ban handed down by British Horseracing Authority stewards for his ride aboard the 2-year-old Noisy Night at Nottingham on Tuesday, reports racingtv.com.

The Roger Charlton trainee veered sharply to the left after the start, and wound up nearly a dozen lengths behind the field early on.

Watson guided Noisy Night across the wire in second-last, beaten approximately 26 lengths.

🗣 “I done what any horseman would have done in the circumstances having been onboard a first time out 2 year old”

Jason Watson banned 7 days for ride on Noisy Night. Full story 👇

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 18, 2021

A statement from the stewards acknowledged the slow start, but added that the ban was handed down because Watson: “had failed to ride the colt in such a way that he could be seen to ask Noisy Night for any form of effort or encouragement to get competitive or improve its position in the final stages of the race.”

Watson took to social media, replying: “I feel very victimized and unsure of the true intentions of the BHA. Today I done what any horseman would have done in the circumstances having been onboard a first time out 2 year old. My priority lies with the horses welfare.”

Trainer Charlton was contacted about the ride, and did not have a complaint.