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Secretariat Vos Populi Award To Kentucky Derby, BC Classic Winner Authentic

Authentic, wire-to-wire victor in both the 2020 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic, has been voted winner of the 2020 Secretariat Vox Populi Award, an online poll. Created by Secretariat's owner Penny Chenery, the award annually recognizes the horse whose popularity and racing excellence best resounded with the general public and gained recognition for Thoroughbred racing.

A frontrunning favorite among the record number of fans who voted in the year-end online poll, Authentic burst onto the racing scene early in 2020. In the unusual calendar that followed for 3-year-olds, the speedy colt by Into Mischief returned five wins and two second-place finishes in his seven starts.

Authentic is owned in a partnership with B. Wayne Hughes' Spendthrift Farm, Madaket Stables and Starlight Racing. In March, Spendthrift offered an interest in Authentic to My Racehorse Stable, a new venture that sells affordable micro-shares of racehorses to casual fans. Thus, when Authentic was victorious in this year's Run for the Roses, he fulfilled the Derby dreams of more than 5,300 racing enthusiasts with a vested interest in him.

“Offering racing fans the opportunity to share in the joy of horse ownership is an innovation that holds much promise for the industry and an idea that my mother would have applauded,” said Kate Chenery Tweedy, family historian and daughter of Penny Chenery. “These Authentic interests and the affection they share for their personal champion has parlayed into widespread attraction and support for the sport. Authentic's athleticism speaks for itself, but in a resounding and new way, Authentic has emerged as a horse of the people.”

Hughes, representing the ownership interests, expressed gratitude for the honor, given the talented field of nominees.

“We were so pleased with the ride that Authentic gave us this year,” Hughes said. “He carried with him the hopes and dreams of all of us who love horse racing, and he delivered time and again on racing's largest stages. We'll remember that thrill for a long time to come — one of the few good stories of 2020. And I, for one, am hopeful that this new kind of partnership will lead to more fans taking an active interest as owners in our magical sport.”

Authentic was retired to Spendthrift following the Breeders' Cup and will enter stud in 2021.

Trained by Bob Baffert and piloted by jockey John Velazquez in his final three starts, Authentic was one of a select group of five nominees submitted by the Vox Populi Committee and presented to thousands of voters in more than 50 countries who spoke as the “Voice of the People” in online polls on both Secretariat.com and AmericasBestRacing.net, where the Vox Populi was featured in the Fan Choice Awards. Other nominees were Monomoy Girl. Swiss Skydiver, Tiz the Law, and Whitmore. Voters also had the option to write in their own favorite candidate, where other exceptional horses were noted.

Authentic now joins a list of cherished racing stars who have also received the Vox Populi Award: Bricks and Mortar (2019), Winx (2018), Ben's Cat (2017), California Chrome (2016 and 2014), American Pharoah (2015), Mucho Macho Man (2013), Paynter (2012), Rapid Redux (2011), and Zenyatta (inaugural 2010).

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NYRA Announces New COVID-19 Protocols For Jockeys

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has announced COVID-19 health and safety protocols for jockeys during the 2020/21 Aqueduct winter meet, which will open on Thursday, Dec. 10 and run through Sunday, March 28.

The 56-day Aqueduct winter meet will include 42 stakes races worth $4.57 million in purse money. In order to mitigate risk and reduce the spread of COVID-19, Aqueduct will be closed to riders that are not regular members of the NYRA jockey colony as of Dec. 31.

To account for NYRA's 10-day holiday break from December 21 through Dec. 30, jockeys interested in being included in the regular NYRA jockey colony must contact NYRA for consideration by Dec. 31.

Members of the regular NYRA jockey colony who travel to ride at any other racetrack during the Aqueduct winter meet will be required to provide two negative COVID-19 tests taken within a 5-day window in order to return to ride at Aqueduct. Jockeys traveling out of state who have completed the required testing will then be physically isolated in the jockey quarters for three additional calendar days. All COVID-19 testing must be performed in New York state.

In addition to race day safety protocols which include standard health screening and temperature checks, the jockey quarters at Aqueduct have been substantially altered to provide maximum social distancing and reduce density. All areas accessed by jockeys during the regular course of a race day are closed to outside personnel, including credentialed media, and are cleaned and disinfected throughout the day. Jockeys are not permitted access to the barn area at Belmont Park.

Jockey agents must produce a negative COVID-19 test in order to gain access to the barn area. Races will continue to be drawn via Zoom. Valets working in in the jockey quarters are not permitted in the barn area.

Live racing during the Aqueduct winter meet will generally be conducted Thursday through Sunday until the end of February and the addition of special Monday cards on Jan. 18 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Feb. 15 for Presidents' Day. Live racing in March will be offered Friday through Sunday through the conclusion of the winter meet on March 28.

For additional information, and the complete winter meet stakes schedule, please visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/stakes-schedule.

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Economic Indicators: Average Daily Handle Continues To Show Increases

Equibase, LLC released its monthly report on Economic Indicators in Thoroughbred Racing this Friday, Dec. 4.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Equibase is currently providing monthly reporting of its Economic Indicators Advisories. The Advisory is typically disseminated on a quarterly basis to provide key metrics used to measure racing's performance throughout the year.

The Breeders' Cup was held during the first weekend of November at Keeneland, but handle was down eight percent from the record set in 2019. The total handle for the month of November was down 6.33 percent in 2020 versus the same month in 2019.

Overall, wagering in 2020 is down 1.48 percent through November, and average daily wagering continues to show a positive trend as well, up 33.78 percent through the first 11 months of 2020 compared to the first 11 months of 2019.

Average field size is up to 7.91 starters per race in 2020, compared to 7.49 in 2019, while the total number of races run is down 24.52 percent through November.

November 2020 vs. November 2019
Indicator	November 2020	November 2019	% Change
Wagering on U.S. Races*	$895,325,220	$955,843,009	-6.33%
U.S. Purses	$92,058,080	$115,756,315	-20.47%
U.S. Race Days	224	324	-30.86%
U.S. Races	1,945	2,730	-28.75%
U.S. Starts	16,236	21,839	-25.66%
Average Field Size	8.35	8.00	+4.35%
Average Wagering Per Race Day	$3,996,988	$2,950,133	+35.49%
Average Purses Per Race Day	$410,974	$357,273	+15.03%

YTD 2020 vs. YTD 2019
Indicator	YTD 2020	YTD 2019	% Change
Wagering on U.S. Races*	$10,173,203,539	$10,326,096,192	-1.48%
U.S. Purses	$812,146,506	$1,101,605,086	-26.28%
U.S. Race Days	3,073	4,173	-26.36%
U.S. Races	25,692	34,038	-24.52%
U.S. Starts	203,122	254,992	-20.34%
Average Field Size	7.91	7.49	+5.54%
Average Wagering Per Race Day	$3,310,512	$2,474,502	+33.78%
Average Purses Per Race Day	$264,285	$263,984	+0.11%

* Includes worldwide commingled wagering on U.S. races.

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How Much Do Trainers Really Make?

Depending on where you sit, racing trainers either appear to be poor as church mice or living in luxury. The Racing Post's Stuart Riley embarked on a project earlier this year to learn more about what British trainers can actually expect to take home each month. As it turns out, there is no one solid answer that applies to all trainers and a lot of it comes down to their training fees.

There are four main categories of costs that trainers incur. The first, and most costly, is staff, which Riley estimates accounts for more than 40% of running costs for most trainers in the UK. The other three categories include variables such as feed, hay, bedding and medication; fixed overheads such as rent or mortgage repayments; and incidentals.

“I provide free accommodation and pay my lads £500 ($676.65) a week,” A Newmarket trainer said to Riley. “They start at 6am and finish at 11.20am. They come back for an hour and three-quarters in the afternoon and are done in the yard by 6pm. I've got 30 horses and six full-time staff, the rest are part-timers. It's £20 ($27.07) a lot for a good part-time rider, so if they do three lots that's £60 ($81.20).”

that trainer's estimated monthly costs for his 30-horse yard are £35,000 ($47,365.47), which doesn't account for travel or extra staffing costs to races.

The four main ways a trainer makes money are prize money shares, training fees, buying and selling horses, and transportation.

Many people think that most of a trainer's earnings comes from the prize money since race purses are known for getting into the millions, but that's not the reality for most trainers. Most trainers in the UK get a little less than 10% of winning prize money and only a little under 6% of placing prize money in a country where most races have purses closer to five figures. This amount alone would not be enough to keep an operation afloat.

There are trainers who can make a decent amount of their income from buying and selling horses as well as having a small transportation business on the side, but Riley found the biggest part of a trainer's bottom line is their training fees. These can range anywhere from £30 ($40.60) a day per horse up to £90 ($121.80), but the most trainers do not advertise what they charge. For a 30-horse yard, A trainer charging £40 ($54.13) a day, would make a £8,000 ($10,826.39) monthly profit, but on ly on the cost of basic daily operations – racing costs and incidentals eat into that quickly.