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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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Racing Steward And Judge Needed For Minnesota Racing Commission

The Minnesota Racing Commission is accepting proposals for racing steward and judge positions for the live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse race meet at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota and the live Standardbred race meet at Running Aces Casino, Hotel and Racetrack in Columbus, Minn. Both meets will be held May 2021 through September 2021 and work for these positions is expected to begin in April 2021.

The approximate term of contract would be from April 15, 2021 through April 14, 2022, with the option to extend an additional four years in increments determined by the state.

Prospective bidders can obtain a copy of the request for proposals by sending a written request, by email, to Bob Schiewe, deputy director of the Minnesota Racing Commission, at bob.schiewe@state.mn.us.

Proposals may be submitted throughout the calendar year 2021, but preference will be given to responses received by January 30, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. central time for the initial award of contract(s).

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TVG’s Weekend Coverage Features Cigar Mile, Opening Of Los Al, Gulfstream

The Cigar Mile (G1) headlines horse racing coverage from coast to coast this weekend on TVG featuring racing from Aqueduct, Fair Grounds and Tampa Bay Downs alongside opening weekend cards from Los Alamitos and Gulfstream Park.

The prestigious Cigar Mile (G1) is the tenth and final race of the day on a star-studded card from Aqueduct which includes three additional graded stakes races – the $150,000 Remsen Stakes (G2), the $100,000 Go for Wand Handicap (G3) and the $150,000 Demoiselle Stakes (G2). The Cigar Mile has attracted a contentious field of nine including multiple graded stakes winner Firenze Fire, last seen finishing third in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) for trainer Kelly Breen.

Los Alamitos will kick off their afternoon Thoroughbred meet on Friday and TVG's Christina Blacker and Britney Eurton will be live trackside throughout the weekend with analysis and selections. Saturday's featured race is the $300,000 Starlet Stakes (G1) for juvenile fillies. Princess Noor tops the field of five for trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Victor Espinoza. The two-time graded stakes winning daughter of Not This Time will be trying to improve off of a fifth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). The Thoroughbred meet at Los Alamitos will run through Sunday, Dec. 20.

Gulfstream Park began their Championship Meet on Wednesday and this weekend will host the popular Claiming Crown which will feature an eleven-race card, nine of which are stakes races, and purses over $800,000. The stakes races include the $150,000 Claiming Crown Jewel which will be run at 1 1/8 miles and has drawn an accomplished field of eight including Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) runner-up Jesus' Team for trainer Jose Francisco D'Angelo. Luis Saez will be aboard the 3-year-old son of Tapiture who rose up from the claiming ranks this spring to finish third in the Preakness Stakes (G1).

The stakes action will continue at Fair Grounds on Saturday with the $75,000 Pan Zareta Stakes, the featured race on the nine-race program. A turf sprint for fillies and mares, the race has drawn a full field of fourteen contenders including Into Mystic, the 5-2 morning line favorite for trainer Brendan Walsh. A 4-year-old daughter of Into Mischief, she is trying to rebound off of a twelfth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) and will have Ricardo Santana, Jr. in the irons.

In addition to racing from Aqueduct, Los Alamitos, Gulfstream Park and Fair Grounds, TVG will also be featuring Tampa Bay Downs, Laurel Park and more. Fans can tune in on TVG, TVG2 and the Watch TVG app which is available on Amazon Fire, Roku and connected Apple TV devices.

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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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