Tag: thoroughbred

‘Crazy,’ ‘Stupid Rule’ On Whip Use Has Jockeys Veering Away From Monmouth Park

Following this week's announcement that the Jockeys' Guild's motion to stay the New Jersey Racing Commission's regulation on the use of the riding crop in Thoroughbred racing was denied by the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, several jockeys have announced their plans to avoid racing at Monmouth Park this summer.

Jockeys' Guild sought the stay of enforcement pending a decision on its appeal, which has not yet been decided. Beginning in 2021, jockeys at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, NJ will not be allowed to use the whip “except for reasons of safety.”

“Under these conditions, no, I don't think I can ride at Monmouth Park,” Joe Bravo, 13-time leading rider at Monmouth, told the Thoroughbred Daily News. “They didn't even speak to any of the New Jersey jockeys and ask what are your thoughts?” Bravo said. “In today's era, yes, there should be riding crop restrictions. I understand that. They have them at Delaware, at Tampa and in California. We have no problem with that. But to take the whip away completely away…That's crazy. Show me another county in the world with major racing that has these conditions.”

Other jockeys added their opinions on Twitter.

The Monmouth Park meet is scheduled to begin on May 28, 2021.

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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Thoroughbred Safety Coalition: HISA ‘The Beginning Of A New, Safer Era For Our Storied Sport’

To all of the hard-working individuals who make up the Thoroughbred community and the fans who share in our love for the horses that set our sport apart from all others: 

As one of our nation's oldest and most celebrated pastimes, racing's traditions run deep. However, the most durable traditions are the ones that evolve and improve with time. Amid the pageantry and beauty, we've faced challenges around equine safety and racing integrity  throughout our history, which is why leaders across the Thoroughbred industry came together  to make the changes necessary to bring our sport into the 21st century and secure its future for  generations to come. Leaders in Thoroughbred racing agree with those who have argued for  greater transparency and more rigorous safety standards, and are united in choosing to prioritize, above all else, the safety and well-being of our equine athletes. 

Through the collaborative work of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition (the Coalition), its members, and broader efforts by leading organizations across the Thoroughbred industry, including The Jockey Club, we worked with lawmakers to help pass The Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), which was signed into law on December 27, 2020. 

Under the oversight of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the independent Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (the Authority) will implement consistent, transparent, and enforceable rules across all state racing jurisdictions. These efforts will be divided into an Anti Doping and Medication Control Program, which will be executed and enforced in partnership with the United States Anti-Doping Authority (USADA), and a Racetrack Safety Program. Most of the medication, organizational and operational reforms that the Coalition and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) have adopted and continue to advocate for will likely  serve as a basis for these programs. Additionally, the Authority will work with state regulators  and horsemen's groups to ensure the most efficient and cost-effective approach to  implementing the new programs. 

The passage of HISA represents a monumental turning point for our traditionally decentralized industry, and we hope it will go a long way in increasing public confidence in the sport. Even stakeholders who historically sought to avoid government intervention in racing are embracing HISA because they understand that it represents a roadmap to a safer sport and will modernize  the industry through strengthened accountability measures. 

HISA has given all of us a mandate to build on the unprecedented display of unity that brought us to where we are today. The formation of the independent Authority as a vehicle to establish and implement uniform medication rules and racetrack safety standards will codify the culture  of safety and integrity that the Coalition was founded to strengthen and protect. The Coalition, The Jockey Club, the NTRA and our respective members are proud to have played a role in this industry-wide effort that will improve our sport. Now, we must work together to support HISA's continued success and the success of Thoroughbred racing for generations to come.  

This is the beginning of a new, safer era for our storied sport, and our work has only just begun. We can't think of a greater task to undertake. 

Sincerely, 

American Association of Equine  Practitioners  

Aqueduct Racetrack 

Belmont Park 

Breeders' Cup Limited 

Churchill Downs, Incorporated Colonial Downs Racetrack 

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Fair Grounds Race Course 

Golden Gate Fields 

Gulfstream Park 

Keeneland Association Inc. 

Kentucky Thoroughbred Association Laurel Park 

Monmouth Park 

National Thoroughbred Racing Association

New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA)

Parx Racing 

Pimlico Race Course 

Presque Isle Downs 

Santa Anita Park 

Saratoga Race Course 

Suffolk Downs 

The Jockey Club 

Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders  Association 

Thoroughbred Safety Coalition 

Turfway Park 

1/ST RACING

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‘Win And You’re In’ Television Schedule Features 12 Live Programs On NBC Sports

The Breeders' Cup and NBC Sports today announced the 2021 “Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In – presented by America's Best Racing” television schedule, consisting of 12 live programs featuring more than 20 automatic qualifying races and other major stakes from six of the nation's premier racetracks on the road to the Breeders' Cup World Championships.

Now in its eighth year on NBC Sports, the series showcases the top horses as they vie for a coveted automatic berth, and free entry, into the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships, scheduled for Nov. 5-6 at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, Calif. The World Championships will be televised live on NBC and NBCSN.

Breeders' Cup is providing an “Add to Calendar” feature that allows fans to easily add the complete Breeders' Cup Challenge and World Championships NBC Sports television schedule to their calendar. The calendar will automatically provide broadcast reminders including tune-in information. Fans can click here for more information and to add to their calendar now.

Television coverage of the 2021 Challenge Series begins on NBC at 5:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 5 during NBC Sports' Belmont Stakes Day programming. The first show will feature the Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap (G1) and the Ogden Phipps (G1) live from Belmont Park, for automatic berths into the $1 million Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) and the $2 million Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), respectively.

The televised series continues on NBC July 3 at 5:00 p.m. ET with the Suburban Stakes (G2), which will award the winner an automatic berth into the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). The following day, July 4, a “Win and You're In” for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) will be on the line in the John A. Nerud Stakes (G2), with coverage starting at 5:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Three-year-olds competing for an automatic berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) will be in the spotlight in the TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) from Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., on July 17 on NBC. Last year, Authentic earned a free berth into the Classic when he won the Haskell, went on to win the Classic in November at Keeneland and was voted Horse of the Year. In 2015, Triple Crown winner American Pharoah earned an automatic berth into the Classic when he won the Haskell and later closed out his Horse of the Year campaign by winning the Classic.

Two Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races which had previously been held at Belmont Park ― The Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) and The Flower Bowl (G1) ― will run this year at historic Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Sept. 4, and will be shown live on NBCSN. The Jockey Club Gold Cup is a “Win and You're In” for the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), while the Flower Bowl will provide the winner a free starting position into the $2 million Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1).

One week later, Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky., is the scene for two “Win and You're In” qualifiers on NBCSN headlined by a new race to the Challenge Series, the Calumet Kentucky Cup (G2), with a free starting position into the $4 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1). The second televised race at Kentucky Downs will be the Turf Sprint (G3), which gives the winner a free entry into the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1).

Woodbine Racecourse outside Toronto will be the site of three Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races on turf over the Sept. 18-19 weekend on NBCSN. On Sept. 18, Woodbine will host the Ricoh Woodbine Mile (G1), which will guarantee the winner a “Win and You're In” spot into the $2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1). On Sept. 19, 2-year-olds take center stage in the Summer Stakes (G1) for an automatic berth into the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1), and Natalma Stakes (G1) for a free entry in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).

Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., will host four programs from Oct. 2-6 to close out the 2021 “Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In – presented by America's Best Racing” schedule. On Friday, Oct. 2 on NBCSN, there will be two races televised: the Darley Alcibiades (G1) for 2-year-old fillies, for a “Win and You're In” slot into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), and the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes (G2), with the winner securing an automatic berth into the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1).

The centerpiece of the Saturday, Oct. 3, program at Keeneland on CNBC will be the Keeneland Turf Mile (G1), which is a “Win and You're In” for the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1). Juvenile males also will be vying for a free berth into the $2 million TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1).

On Sunday, Oct. 4, NBCSN will present a 90-minute program featuring the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (G1) and the Bourbon Stakes (G2). The Spinster will offer an automatic starting position in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) and the Bourbon Stakes will give the winner a free spot into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1). The Oct. 4 program will also feature highlights of Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races from ParisLongchamp in France, headlined by the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1).

“The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In – presented by America's Best Racing” concludes on Wednesday, Oct. 6, with the Jessamine Stakes (G2) at Keeneland for a free qualifying spot into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).

“The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In – presented by America's Best Racing continues to be an excellent way for fans to stay connected to the top horses and races throughout the summer and fall leading up to the World Championships,” said Breeders' Cup President and CEO Drew Fleming. “We thank NBC Sports for their continued commitment to our sport and are grateful for the broadcasting excellence they deliver in their domestic and international Thoroughbred racing coverage. We also thank our Challenge Series partner racetracks around the world along with America's Best Racing for their presenting sponsorship and promotion of the series.”

“We are excited to showcase the world's top horses in the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series from Belmont Stakes Day throughout the summer and all the way to the Breeders' Cup World Championships in November,” said Justin Byczek, NBC Sports Senior Vice President of Programming and Rights Management.

The complete Challenge Series television schedule can be viewed here.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series coverage on NBC and NBCSN will be live streamed on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

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Rob Tuel Named Track Announcer At Evangeline Downs

Evangeline Downs Racetrack Casino & Hotel has announced the hiring of Rob Tuel as its new full-time track announcer replacing Michael Chamberlain, who had spent the last six years behind the microphone in Opelousas, Louisiana.

Tuel's race calling experience began in 2004 at Eureka Downs in Kansas, where he called both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses. Over the years he has also called races in his home state of Nebraska at FairPlay Park, Lincoln Race Course and Atokad Park.

“I am honored and thrilled to be selected as the new track announcer at Evangeline Downs,” said Tuel. “It has been a lifelong dream to the announcer at such a prestigious racetrack and I cannot wait to begin.”

Tuel will also have the responsibility of handicapping each program at Evangeline Downs while also hosting the track's daily simulcast show. His experience in front of the camera along with a lifetime of handicapping horse races will provide fans with valuable insights and plenty of winning picks nightly. From 2010 – 2012 he served as paddock host and handicapper at Lincoln Race Course while working with Chamberlain, who was the announcer at that time.

“We are very exciting to have Rob join our racing team here at Evangeline Downs,” said Carol Core, Vice President and General Manager. “He brings plenty of excitement and enthusiasm to the position of track announcer and I'm sure he will be well received by race fans both locally and across the nation via simulcast.”

Tuel's first full season at Evangeline Downs will run from April 28 through Sept. 18. The track will host live programs each Wednesday through Saturday night beginning at 5:50 pm Central Time.

For more information on racing at Evangeline Downs, visit the track's website at www.evdracing.com. Evangeline Downs' Twitter handle is @EVDRacing and the racetrack is also accessible on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EvangelineDownsRacing.

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