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David Jerkens: Del Mar Stable Area Showing Good Signs For 2020 Fall Meet

Based on stall applications and assignments, racing secretary David Jerkens projects there will be more horses on site for Del Mar's Bing Crosby meeting than usual in 2020.

“I'd say around 400-425 a day will be stabled here,” Jerkens said Wednesday afternoon. “That's slightly higher than usual (300-350) and I take it as a good sign.”

While most trainers will, for economic reasons, continue to house charges at Santa Anita, Los Alamitos or San Luis Rey Downs training center and ship in for the races, Jerkens listed 10 who are sending their entire Santa Anita stable to Del Mar. They are: Phil D'Amato, Doug O'Neill, John Shirreffs, Ron McAnally, Bill Spawr, Bob Hess, Jr., Kenny Black, Sal Gonzalez, Gary Mandella and Alfredo Marquez.

Saturday's opening day program of the Bing Crosby meeting was put together on Wednesday with 76 total entries, 73 in the “body” of the nine-race card and three listed as also eligibles.

“We expected maybe a few more, but there are going to be some very competitive races and we're certainly happy with the eight we got for the stakes (Kathryn Crosby),” Jerkens said.

After its Saturday-Sunday opening, the 15-day meeting runs Friday through Sunday through November 22 and closes with a four-day “Turf Festival” from Thanksgiving Day, November 26 to Sunday, November 29. Seven of the nine graded stakes during the meeting will be staged over the final four days over the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.

Those races, especially the Grade I Hollywood Derby and Grade I Matriarch Stakes, have been major enticements to East Coast trainers in the past and elite trainers Chad Brown, Mark Casse and Graham Motion, among others, have sent marquee runners with good success.

“Even in this COVID era, when people aren't shipping to the extent they used to, we've received quite a bit of interest from back east,” Jerkens said. “And I know some local trainers have been acquiring horses (for turf stakes) as well.”

It has been so long since rain graced San Diego County that's it's easy to forget that torrential downpours forced cancellations of two race programs last fall, one of them a Thanksgiving card scheduled to start the final week, and the rescheduling of some graded stakes.

Still, the East Coast contingent was a strong one and the appropriately name Got Stormy closed things with a victory in the Matriarch for Casse.

“If the weather cooperates, I think we'll get some very good horses from the east like we usually do,” Jerkens said.

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Oaklawn Announces New Integrity Initiatives Ahead Of 2021 Season

Working in partnership with the Arkansas Racing Commission and the Arkansas HBPA (Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association), Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort has announced, subject to legislative approval, a series of significant proposed safety and integrity enhancements planned for the 2021 racing season. Key provisions include the prohibition of Clenbuterol within 60 days of a race, reduction in the maximum amount of Lasix without specific approval, and the mandatory use of safety whips in races.

“We began working on these measures last spring,” said Oaklawn President Louis Cella. “We hosted a series of roundtable meetings with horsemen, regulators, racing officials, and our own management team where we asked a simple question: 'What can we do to enhance the safety and integrity of our program?'.”

Cella said the effort resulted in about a dozen proposed rule and policy changes, some of which are unique in American Thoroughbred racing. The rule changes are currently making their way through the regulatory approval process in Arkansas and are expected to be finalized in advance of the start of the 2021 racing season, Jan. 22.

“We could not have accomplished all of this without the strong partnership we have with our Racing Commission and our horsemen,” Cella said. “When it comes to integrity and safety, we are united.”

Some of the proposed rule or policy changes include:

• The use of Clenbuterol or any other beta2-agonist will not be allowed within 60 days prior to a race at Oaklawn, confirmed for the first time through hair testing.
• The maximum dosage of Lasix that can be administered has been reduced by 50% without specific approval of the State Veterinarian. Lasix is also prohibited in any 3-year-old stakes that awards points towards eligibility in the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks. These are the Smarty Jones, Southwest (G3), Rebel (G2), and Arkansas Derby (G1) for horses pointing towards the Kentucky Derby. And the Martha Washington, Honeybee (G3), and Fantasy (G3) for horses pointing towards the Kentucky Oaks.
• The use of extracorporeal shock wave therapy, radial pulse wave therapy, or similar treatments will not be allowed within 30 days of a race. Also, shock wave equipment will not be allowed on Oaklawn's grounds at any time.
• Trainer and veterinarian records must be made available upon request for review by the pre-race exam veterinarians.
• The only riding crops allowed during races will be the 360 Gentle Touch (360 GT), Pro-Cush or other similar riding crops approved by the stewards.
• Off-track training facilities in Arkansas will be asked to agree to abide by rules similar to rules that apply on-track.
• Horses will be required to be on the grounds at least 72 hours before races unless approved for late arrival. To facilitate this, entries will be scheduled at least four days prior to a race.

Cella said the timing for these safety and integrity enhancements is perfect. “Our racing program has become one of the elite racing programs in America with a projected average daily purse distribution of $700,000 a day in 2021,” he added. “In addition, we are close to completing a $100-million expansion project that will elevate the program even further. So the time for safety and integrity enhancements is now.”

One of the individuals who worked closely with Oaklawn and horsemen in the development of these measures was Alex Lieblong, Chairman of the Arkansas Racing Commission. A horse owner himself, Lieblong said, “I applaud Oaklawn for taking these forward-thinking steps that will help solidify Oaklawn's status as one of the premier racing destinations in the country. They have the full support of the Racing Commission.”

Another key participant was Bill Walmsley, president of the Arkansas HBPA. “We began these meetings in early 2020 and continued working through the summer and into the fall. While we do not endorse every change, we do not object to any of these changes. Overall, it has been a true partnership effort, and it demonstrates why Oaklawn, the Arkansas HBPA and the Arkansas Racing Commission enjoy what I believe is the strongest working relationship in the industry.”

Oaklawn's 2021 season runs from Friday, Jan. 22 to Saturday, May 1. Stall applications are now available on www.oaklawn.com and are due Thursday, Nov. 5. The schedule features a total of 33 stakes worth $11,000,000 and will be highlighted by four $1 million stakes races – $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2), $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1), $1 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2), and $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) – and the richest purse structure in its 117-year history.

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Delta Downs Preparing For Delayed Thoroughbred Season Kicking Off Nov. 24

Delta Downs' 2020-21 Thoroughbred season will see plenty of changes after a pair of powerful storms caused heavy damage to the racetrack during the offseason.

Hurricane Laura, which struck the Vinton, La. area on Aug. 27 as a Category 4 storm with winds of nearly 150 miles per hour, caused extensive damage to the facility before Hurricane Delta struck nearly the same area as a Category 2 storm on Oct. 9.

Due to the lengthy repairs necessary, Delta Downs' season has been pushed back from its original starting date of Oct. 6 and will now begin on Tuesday, Nov. 24. The 84-day meeting will run through April 16 and feature live racing each Monday through Thursday following opening week. Post times for this season will be at 12:55 pm Central Time each day since the lighting system was damaged beyond repair and nighttime racing was made impossible.

Delta Downs' stakes schedule for the upcoming season has also been altered this year. Overall, the track will offer 22 added-money races worth a total of $1.745 million.

The stakes activity will begin on opening week with a pair of $60,000 races, the Lookout and the B Connected Stakes, on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 24 and 25. The track will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26 before the week wraps up on Friday and Saturday with a pair of $100,000 events, the Treasure Chest and the Delta Mile.

The richest race day of the year will happen on Wednesday, Feb. 10 when the track hosts the 18th edition of Louisiana Premier Day. The star-studded program will include 10 stakes races for Louisiana-bred horses and a total of $805,000 in total purse money. The featured race on Louisiana Premier Day will be the $125,000 Louisiana Premier Day Championship for older horses traveling 1 1/16 miles.

For more information about the upcoming season, including the entire stakes schedule, visit the track's website at www.deltadownsracing.com. Fans can also get information about the track through Facebook by visiting the page 'Delta Downs Racing'. The track's Twitter handle is @deltaracing.

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Del Mar’s Seventh Consecutive Fall Meet To Be Conducted Without Fans

Del Mar's seventh consecutive fall race meeting – presented with a Hollywood flare and a title that honors the track's founder, Bing Crosby – breaks from the starting gate this Saturday for a 15-day stand that will take it through to Sunday, Nov. 29.

The Bing Crosby Season will offer 16 stakes races during its run, headed by a pair of grassy Grade 1's on closing weekend – the $300,000 Hollywood Derby on Nov. 28 and the $300,000 Matriarch Stakes on Nov. 29.

After its Saturday/Sunday opening weekend, the track will settle into a Friday-through-Sunday format for the following three weeks, then close things out with a four-day finish starting on Thanksgiving Thursday, Nov. 26.

The track will continue its emphasis on the safety of its horses and riders which has now resulted in a highly successful three-year span that has seen it rise to the top of a list of the nation's safest racetracks. Its extensive program of enhanced procedures and protocols include additional veterinarian oversight, a panel of experts that scrutinizes all horse entries and overriding analyses of medications and workout routines for its horses. These once novel steps now have become part of the day-to-day routine at the shore racing headquarters.

As was the case during recently concluded summer meet, the track will operate its fall season under stringent COVID-19 protocols, including daily health screenings for all employees and essential personnel. It will have medical professionals onsite and require both the wearing of face masks and social distancing. In accordance with state and local guidelines, racing again will be conducted without fans in attendance.

“Safety is on our menu from start to finish,” said Del Mar Thoroughbred Club's CEO Joe Harper. “If you start with safety, everything else just flows. And not only will we again have safe racing, but we'll once more have the best racing in the country throughout our stand, something racing fans are going to love to watch.”

Nine of the track's fall stakes will be run on its Jimmy Durant Turf Course starting with the opening day Kathryn Crosby Stakes for fillies and mares going a mile. The meet's last seven stakes – presented over the extended Thanksgiving holiday weekend – are all contested on the lawn, leading up to the two Grade I offerings mentioned earlier.

In keeping with its Bing Crosby/Hollywood theme, the majority of the track's stakes are named for stars of the past who had Del Mar connections. Among the black-type presentations are races named for Desi Arnaz, Bob Hope, Betty Grable, Cary Grant, Jimmy Durante and Cecil B. DeMille.

Del Mar's racing office – headed by a pair of pros in its executive vice president for racing Tom Robbins and racing secretary David Jerkens – will be presenting either eight or nine races daily with a first post of 12:30 p.m. on all days with the exception of Thanksgiving Day and its special 11 a.m. start.

It also will present live cards on both Breeders' Cup days – Friday, Nov. 6 and Saturday, Nov. 7. Eight Del Mar races will be run both afternoons around the 14 championship events – five on Friday and nine of Saturday — conducted at Keeneland Race Course in Kentucky this year.

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