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After Weeks Of Negotiation, Arlington Park, Horsemen Come To Agreement For 2020 Meet

Live racing at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Il. will begin on July 23, as approved by the Illinois Racing Board during a special teleconference meeting on Monday.

That approval was held up by contract negotiations between Arlington representatives and the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, with the two sides close to an agreement several times over the past two weeks. The main sticking point had been the length of the contract; Arlington wanted a two-year deal, while the ITHA wanted to keep it to a single year.

After multiple rescheduled meetings of the IRB, the parties finally came to an agreement and signed a contract shortly before Monday's teleconference call. Live racing will begin at Arlington on July 23 without spectators, and racing a total of 30 race days on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays with daily post times of 2 p.m. or 2:30 p.m.

The Arlington Million will not be held in 2020.

On Monday's call, a recess of the meeting had to be called after Hawthorne Race Course's assistant general manager John Walsh suggested his track be awarded some dark host days, and the ensuing conversation became heated.

“Dark host days” award an increased portion of revenues collected from off-track betting on days without live racing. Walsh made the argument that Hawthorne had incurred costs of approximately $239,000 per month for the three months its backside was open while Arlington Park's remained closed, allowing horsemen to have a place to stable their horses during the pandemic.

Arlington representatives balked at the idea, arguing that reassigning dark host days would put the Arlington meet in jeopardy due to having to reassess purse money.

Following the 30-minute recess, a motion for Hawthorne to receive some of Arlington's dark host days was defeated 5-1. The motion to approve the existing Arlington Park/ITHA agreement then passed unanimously.

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Honor A.P. Performance, Prat Dominance Highlight Interrupted Santa Anita Meet

With $5,649,128 in new money wagered, Sunday's total 20 cent Rainbow Pick Six Jackpot pool reached $6,738,964, with the result being a mandatory closing day payout of $12,304.70 at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

Sunday's seventh race, the first leg of the Rainbow Pick Six, was the $150,000 Melair Stakes, which was won by Warren's Showtime, who paid $10.60 to win. Including the Melair, the Rainbow Six sequence was determined thusly: R7 #6, $10.60, R8 #10, $6.20, R9 #3, $11.60, R10 #4, $16.80, R11 #2, $3.20 and R12 #5, $25.20.

Santa Anita's 60-day Winter/Spring Meeting, which began on Dec. 28 and was closed due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic from March 27 until the track was allowed to reopen without fans on May 15, played host to a number of great performances, perhaps highlighted by Honor A.P.'s stirring victory in the Grade I Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on June 6, a performance that stamped him a leading contender for the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5.

On the human side of things, French native Flavien Prat, 27, ran away with the jockeys' title, winning 90 races, 29 more than runner-up Abel Cedillo. Additionally, Prat, who notched his second career Winter/Spring title, dead heated with Mike Smith for most stakes wins, with 14.

In the trainers' division, Peter Miller got his first Santa Anita Winter/Spring crown, outrunning Bob Baffert, 35 to 33, while Baffert led Miller in stakes-won 10-8.

Live racing will return to Santa Anita on Friday, Sept. 11. Fans are encouraged to visit santaanita.com for updates, or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Spectator-Free Belmont Stakes Day Wagering Tops $67 Million

Saturday's 12-race Belmont Stakes Day card at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., featuring six graded stakes and highlighted by Tiz the Law's victory in the 152nd running of the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes, generated all-sources handle of $67,753,336.

Tiz the Law, the 3-year-old colt owned by Sackatoga Stable based in Saratoga Springs, became the first New York-bred to capture the Belmont Stakes since 1882.

To align with required health and safety measures implemented in New York to mitigate risk and combat the spread of COVID-19, the Belmont Stakes Day card was held without spectators in attendance. To properly account for the schedule adjustments made in response to the pandemic, the Belmont Stakes was run at a distance of 1 1/8-miles instead of the traditional 1 ½ mile test.

For the first time in history, the Belmont Stakes served as the opening leg of the Triple Crown, with the Kentucky Derby moved to September 5 at Churchill Downs and the Preakness rescheduled for October 3 at Pimlico Race Course.

All-sources handle on the 152nd Belmont Stakes itself, carded as Race 10, was $34,088,475.

The 2019 all-sources handle was $102,163,280, a NYRA record for a non-Triple Crown year.

The Belmont Park spring/summer meet continues through Sunday, July 12, with live racing conducted Thursday through Sunday. First post is 1:15 p.m.

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Report: 27 Workers At Keeneland Tested Positive For COVID-19 Since May 9

As states continue the rolling back COVID-19 closures and restrictions, the Lexington-Herald Leader reported Friday that more workers at Keeneland have tested positive for the virus than any other employer in Lexington.

Since reopening in Kentucky began on May 9, the newspaper reported 27 people at the track have tested positive. Most of them are backstretch workers, rather than Keeneland employees.

All but two of the 27 have since been cleared to return to work.

Keeneland officials reported that 1,000 tests have been administered to workers as part of its biosecurity protocol. Anyone testing positive is required to quarantine off-site.

Read more at the Lexington Herald-Leader

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