The Biz | Horse Racing Free Tips

Racing Officials Accreditation Program Successfully Hosts First Online Continuing Education Course

New ground was broken for the Racing Officials Accreditation Program's (ROAP) as its first live-online, 16-hour continuing education course (CE), hosted by the University of Louisville, was held December 14 -15, 2020.

Racing stewards, judges and officials from 17 states, Abu Dhabi, Canada, and Trinidad/Tobago attended the event that covered topics ranging from media and crisis communication training to racehorse aftercare awareness to the Horse Racing Integrity & Safety Act of 2020. CE courses are designed to bring officials together to discuss both the cutting edge industry issues as well as those that face them on a daily basis.

All accredited racing stewards, judges and officials are required to attend 16 hours of continuing education programming every two years to maintain their good standing.

To become accredited, one must attend the initial 60-hour educational seminar, pass a suite of exams, and possess the required racing industry experience.

The 60-hour accreditation seminar that was postponed during the summer of 2020, due to COVID-19 restrictions, has been rescheduled for the summer of 2021 and will be hosted by the University of Louisville. Exact dates and methods of delivery will be announced as they become available.

The post Racing Officials Accreditation Program Successfully Hosts First Online Continuing Education Course appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

New Mexico: Quarter Horse Trainer Fined $15,000, Suspended 1 1/2 Years For Clenbuterol Positive

Trainer Marco Flores was issued a 1 1/2-year suspension and a $15,000 fine by the New Mexico Racing Commission this week, according to a recent ruling posted on the Association of Racing Commissioners International website. The penalties were handed down due to a positive post-race test for clenbuterol in Quarter Horse “Stand In The Sun,” following the mare's win in a Sunray Park allowance race on May 3, 2019.

Stand In The Sun has run 16 times under five different trainers, thrice under Flores' name but primarily (nine times) under the name of Jesus Soto. The mare raced under Soto's name on Feb. 1, 2019, with Soto listed as owner, then next appeared under Flores' name on May 3, 2019, with Julio Islas listed as owner. In her next start, she ran under the name of trainer Raul Vega on Dec. 15, 2019.

Flores is required to pay the $15,000 fine before Jan. 23, and his suspension will run from Jan. 1, 2021 through July 1, 2022. Flores' Quarter Horse training record includes 18 wins from 166 starts, though he has not had a starter since May 10, 2019. He was summarily suspended by the NMRC beginning May 11, 2019, for another Clenbuterol positive in the post-race test of “Bonafide Hero” on April 19, 2019 at Sunray.

Most recently, Stand In The Sun ran under the name of Jesus Soto as both owner and trainer, finishing eighth in an allowance race at Zia Park on Dec. 8, 2020. Soto's training record includes 88 Quarter Horse wins from 595 starts.

The post New Mexico: Quarter Horse Trainer Fined $15,000, Suspended 1 1/2 Years For Clenbuterol Positive appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Smaller Grandstand, Fans In The Infield? O’Rourke Pitching Ideas For Belmont Renovation

New York Racing Association president and CEO Dave O'Rourke is preparing to present the state with redevelopment plans for Belmont Park, reports the Daily Racing Form, which could include a grandstand just one-third the size of the existing one.

Rather than retrofitting the current grandstand, O'Rourke favors rebuilding a smaller version because he believes it represents fewer challenges. All three surfaces at Belmont also need to be renovated, O'Rourke said, and the project could include opening the infield to fans. Specific plans will be drawn up once the state approves a general direction for the project.

The state is the landowner at Belmont Park, where the current construction nearing completion is a new arena for the National Hockey League's New York Islanders. Construction on the arena began in September of 2019, and while it was delayed due to COVID-19, completion is expected in fall of 2021.

“We think it's a really good project,” O'Rourke told drf.com. “One, we can fund it off VLTs. It'll create jobs. It also might create some other opportunities for the state with what it could free up at Aqueduct. Our anticipation is that those conversations with the state are going to pick up literally within the next few weeks.”

Hawthorne’s Fall Thoroughbred Meet Shows 29 Percent Handle Increase

In a year that saw a break during the summer harness meet for racing, limited to no fans in the facility, and uncertainty throughout the industry with virus concerns, the fall Thoroughbred meet at Hawthorne in Stickney, Ill. wrapped up with strong handle and field size increases. While the vast majority of handle came from locations off-site due to Covid-19 restrictions, great support from the horsemen in the entry box, beautiful weather, and support of the wagering public made for sizeable gains during the 34 day fall meet.

For handle, with restrictions in place throughout 2020, the only true comparison comes with total handle as $65,658,122 was wagered over the 34 racing days in 2020. This was compared to $44,763,380 wagered on the 30 cards in the 2019 October through December timeframe. This translated to a 29 percent per card increase in handle of $1,931,121 wagered per card in 2020 compared to $1,492,112 in the fall of 2019. For the 2020 meet, 15 cards surpassed $2 million in handle, compared to just one in 2019.

Field size greatly increased as well. With 298 races run in 2020, compared to 277 in 2019, a total of 2,694 horses started this fall, compared to 2,251 last season. Total average field size for the meet increased from 8.13 per race in 2019 to 9.04 in 2020. The nice weather paid off for turf races as 49 races were run on the grass in 2020, compared to just 19 in 2019.

On the track, jockey Victor Santiago won his second Hawthorne riding title, winning 32 races. 2019 champ Jareth Loveberry had another strong meet, finishing with 28 wins. Loveberry was followed by Chris Emigh, Julio Felix, and newcomer Francisco Arrieta, each with 27 wins apiece.

Trainer Hugh Robertson took his second consecutive training title, winning 26 races this fall. Scott Becker finished second with 16 wins. A strong first Hawthorne meet from Karl Broberg had him in third with 14 victories, tied with Brittany Vandenberg.

A big closing day pushed Novogratz Racing Stables to the owner's title, winning 16 races, followed by William Stritiz with 13 victories and End Zone Athletics, Inc. with 10 wins.

Two horses won five races during the fall meet as Wake Up Joe and Verrazano First both accomplished that feat. Readthecliffnotes scored four times during the fall racing season.

“2020 has been a year unlike any other at Hawthorne,” stated Hawthorne President and General Manager Tim Carey. “We faced uncertainty with the racing schedule, fans on-site, and working around casino construction at our facility. Working hand in hand with our horsemen made a great difference though. They are excited about what is just around the corner at Hawthorne for racing and showed their support all meet long. While 2020 turned out to be a strong fall meet for us, I cannot wait for what we can do for racing in Illinois in 2021 and beyond.”

The post Hawthorne’s Fall Thoroughbred Meet Shows 29 Percent Handle Increase appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post