The Biz | Horse Racing Free Tips

Jockeys’ Guild Denied Stay Of New Jersey’s Stricter Whip Rules

Jockeys' Guild, Inc. (“Jockeys' Guild”) learned Monday, April 19, that the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, denied its motion to stay the New Jersey Racing Commission's (“Commission's”) Regulation on the use of the riding crop in Thoroughbred racing. Jockeys' Guild sought the stay of enforcement pending a decision on its appeal, which has not yet been decided.

Beginning in 2021, jockeys at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, NJ will not be allowed to use the whip “except for reasons of safety.”

“We are extremely disappointed in this decision on our motion for a stay of enforcement. This Regulation prohibits jockeys from using the riding crop as they have been trained, increasing the risk of injury to both the horse and rider,” said Terry Meyocks, President and CEO of Jockeys' Guild. “We hoped the Court would stay the Regulation while our appeal is being considered, particularly because a stay would have maintained the status quo. After all, the Commission enacted the Regulation this past fall but had not yet enforced it.”

Meyocks added: “With the Court's decision that we learned of Monday, the Regulation is expected to be enforced in New Jersey beginning with the upcoming racing season in May.”

Jockeys' Guild filed an appeal of the Regulation in November. It first asked the Commission to stay enforcement pending a decision on that appeal. The Commission refused to stay enforcement, which lead Jockeys' Guild to seek a stay from the Court.

“Jockeys' Guild remains hopeful that the Court ultimately will grant its appeal,” said Meyocks.

The post Jockeys’ Guild Denied Stay Of New Jersey’s Stricter Whip Rules appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

‘Banging My Head Against The Wall’: Lawson Frustrated With Racing Postponement At Woodbine

As a result of the Provincial State of Emergency declared on April 7 by the Government of Ontario, which includes a province-wide 28-day stay-at-home order effective Thursday, April 8, at 12:01 a.m., Woodbine Entertainment announced that the 2021 Thoroughbred Meet at Woodbine Racetrack has been postponed. The stay-at-home order was recently extended to May 20, and Woodbine CEO Jim Lawson told the Toronto Sun he is “frustrated beyond belief” with the lack of action by the provincial government.

Hockey, an indoor sport conducted in a confined space, is allowed to continue in Ontario at this time, but horse racing, an outdoor sport conducted in the open air, is not.

Additionally, morning training is allowed to continue at Woodbine, but racing is not. The same workers are needed for afternoon racing, so there is not an increased risk of infection/transmission.

“Horse racing people are pleading with me to give them a thread of hope so they can go back to their owners and say, 'I talked to Jim. It looks like we're going to be able to race.' But I can't give them that assurance or hope because, quite frankly, I'm tired of giving people hope,” Lawson told the Toronto Sun. “I've had good discussions (with the province and Toronto Health) but nothing seems to be happening. I'm banging my head against the wall. I don't even know where to turn anymore. It's not like I'm not having the right discussions with the right people. But someone has to spend an hour – whatever the time is – to go through what we're doing.”

Average Race Handle Up During Record-Setting Season At Mahoning Valley

The 2020-21 racing season at Hollywood Gaming Mahoning Valley Race Course came to a record setting and successful close this past Saturday.

“We are thrilled,” commented Allie Evangelista, Vice President and General Manager. “Despite the hurdles of the past year, we closed on our most successful race meet to date thanks to the continued efforts of our racing team and community.”

The 2020-2021 racing season did not disappoint and concluded with an average handle per race of $121,770, a 4.43% increase in average handle per race over the 2019-2020 racing season. During the 2021 Winter/Spring meet portion of the racing season, average handle per race came in at $131,411, with the wagering highlight coming on March 29.

In a mandatory payout of the Buckeye Jackpot Pick 6, which had grown to $343,876, the single day handle record was shattered by over $1 million. The new record stands strong at $3,095,044. 2021 also saw the introduction of the 15% takeout Pick 5 which has proven immensely popular with handicappers seeing an average pool size of nearly $30,000.

“The response from handicappers has been incredible,” says Assistant Director of Racing Elizabeth Rogers. “The team is already looking ahead to the fall meet and we are excited to explore opportunities that will improve the experience of our existing customers and entice new ones.”

In a tight race between three trainers for the 2021 Winter/Spring Leading Trainer title, it was Jeffery Radosevich who pulled away from the competition winning with four of his final five starts giving him 23 wins in the meet. When asked how many titles he has won at Mahoning he quoted his father, Joe Radosevich, “Do your job and don't count.” He may not be counting but we are, today's win makes number eleven for Radosevich who has proven dominant at Mahoning Valley since it first opening in 2014.

“Dad gave us kids the knowledge, it was our mom, Jackie, who schooled us and kept us in line,” said Radosevich. “I have to give credit to my crew, they are all good workers, and to my clients who support and believe in me.”

The jockey's race was exciting in a different way as Sonny Leon claimed the 2021 Winter/Spring Leading Jockey title with 74 wins, 17 ahead of the runner up.

“I'm excited to win my second title at Mahoning,” Leon said. “The trainers here have been extremely supportive and I am happy to have the opportunity to ride for them.”

Leon began his riding career in Florida in 2015 before bringing his tack to the Midwest where he has found success in recent years. Earlier this year he made trip number 500 to the winners circle and his mounts have surpassed $9 million in earnings.

Mahoning Valley came out strong in the Fall of 2020 by hosting the Best of Ohio stakes on October 31, five restricted Ohio Bred stakes valued at $500,000. Forewarned, for trainer Uriah St. Lewis and owner Trin-Brook Stables, Inc, successfully returned to defend his title in the mile and a quarter Best of Ohio Endurance Stake. Other winners on the day included Ohio bred 2020 champion 2-year-old male Buckeye Magic, Ohio bred 2020 champion 3-year-old male and champion sprinter Chief Randel, Alexandria, and Drillit.

In what has been a similar case for many racetracks, reopening after the pandemic shutdown proved a difficult task. Just over a week after the Best of Ohio Stakes, on November 10, Mahoning was faced with a shutdown that saw the loss of seven live racing days. Despite the setbacks, Mahoning returned on November 23, just in time to host the 6th running of the Steel Valley Sprint. In a field of 12 it would be Vertical Threat who stole the show for trainer Richard Baltas and the partnership of MyRacehorse.com and Slam Dunk Racing.

The final open stake of the season was run on April 10, the first running of the Cheryl S. White Memorial Stake, named in honor of the first African American female jockey to ride and win a Thoroughbred horse race in the United States. In a riding career that spanned more than twenty years, Cheryl won over 750 races. After riding, Cheryl continued to devote her time to the racing industry serving in various roles at the racetrack, most recently as a placing judge at Mahoning Valley. HnR Nothhaft Horse Racing LLC's Prodigy Doll skipped home as the favorite by 8 lengths for trainer Ben Colebrook giving the daughter of Shanghai Bobby her first stakes win.

The horses will return to Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course in the fall with opening day slated for Friday, October 22 and the $250,000 Steel Valley Sprint set for November 22.

The post Average Race Handle Up During Record-Setting Season At Mahoning Valley appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Additional H-2B Visas Will Be Available For Trainers During Second Half Of Fiscal Year 2021

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Labor have agreed to offer 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. The additional visas will be made available later this spring or early summer via a temporary final rule in the Federal Register. Six thousand of these visas will be reserved for nationals of the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

“We are pleased to learn that additional H-2B visas will be available for trainers soon and applaud Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh for this action,” said NTRA President and CEO Alex Waldrop. “At the same time, the NTRA supports relief from the burdensome annual H-2B visa cap through a permanent returning worker exemption and urges both departments to reform the program accordingly, enabling affected employers to stabilize their businesses.”

This past December, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 became law and included a provision that provides the DHS with the discretionary authority to release an additional 64,176 H-2B visas when significant need is demonstrated. The NTRA, through its involvement with the H-2B Workforce Coalition, 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.

The post Additional H-2B Visas Will Be Available For Trainers During Second Half Of Fiscal Year 2021 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post