COVID-19 pandemic

Ellis Park Racing & Gaming has increased track and racing protocols in compliance with Governor Andy Beshear's order requiring facial coverings to be worn at all times in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Ellis Park has been requiring masks for all patrons since July 6--three days earlier than the official government mandate. All employees and backside personnel have been required to wear masks since the June 8 reopening of the racing and gaming operation. "Governor Beshear's actions will make it easier for us to keep our guests, our team, and the...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. will celebrate the work of non-profit organizations by taking its Community Outreach Booth program online during the 2020 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course, which begins Thursday, July 16 and runs through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7. The Virtual Community Outreach Booth program will highlight a total of 40 non-profits throughout the season by sharing information about their work and fundraising initiatives at NYRA.com/community. "As we look ahead to a unique racing season, it is important to NYRA that we continue to highlight the...

The board of the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) has made the unanimous decision to postpone the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA), until 2021. The RRP plans to host an expanded Thoroughbred Makeover Oct. 12-17, 2021 that will offer separate classes in all 10 disciplines for both 2020 and 2021 entries. Put on each year by the RRP, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, the Thoroughbred Makeover typically draws hundreds of competitors from 40+ states and multiple Canadian provinces, each of whom has taken on...

Across the world, the economic tsunami triggered by the pandemic has been stemmed, to some degree, by massive government interventions. But these can only go so far, whether in funds, duration or reach. Beyond those margins, many hugely deserving enterprises find themselves perilously exposed--and it will fall onto society, onto each one of us, to help determine which are worth saving. Broadsided by this unaccountable emergency into a sudden, existential crisis, Horse Country is now turning to the community it serves and making its own case for salvation. That's a...

Turf Paradise Race Course has announced its plans for a 133-day live race meet to start Oct. 30 and to run through May 5, 2021. Racing will be conducted primarily on a five-day a week schedule, Saturday-Wednesday. Live racing will also be conducted on the following Fridays: Opening Day, Oct. 30; first day of Breeders' Cup, Nov. 6; the day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 27 and Kentucky Oaks day, Apr. 30. Post time will be 12:40 p.m.

The 2019 Texas Champion horses and horsemen, which normally would have been honored during the Texas Thoroughbred Association's annual meeting and awards banquet, will instead be showcased online with a video presentation highlighting their achievements. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the TTA's annual event in March was postponed. "We still hope to get our members and award winners together for an event later this year, but due to the uncertainty of whether that will happen we decided to put our awards video online to honor all the winners," said Mary...

The scope and pace of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected daily life, the national economy, and by extension, the Thoroughbred racing business, is dizzying. For so many, the hardest aspect of the pandemic-induced crisis is the uncertainty about if and when things will go back to the old normal. The pandemic is like nothing we have experienced before and therefore, we have no models on which to rely. With the delayed opening of most racetracks, and with others having no opening day in sight, many people are asking if...

Gulfstream Park will reopen its casino Thursday, June 18, it was announced Thursday. The newly redesigned casino floor will open Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Gulfstream is following all recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), state and local authorities and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Gulfstream's reopening plan has also been approved by Broward County, the City of Hallandale Beach and the Florida Department of Business...

The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association will begin offering grants for breeders, the group announced in a letter Wednesday afternoon. "Thanks to the generosity of Chuck Zacney and Glenn Bennett, along with a contribution from the PHBA, we are happy to announce that we are offering grants to help alleviate some of the financial hardship you are experiencing," the letter read. The grants will be awarded as follows: $250/horse, up to a maximum of $1,000 (four horses). Breeders are asked to submit a letter explaining their financial need, but must meet...

As the meet was winding down Wednesday on the final day of racing in 2020 at Fonner Park, trainer Kelli Martinez was getting ready to ship her stable to Prairie Meadows. The Fonner meet was a good one for Martinez, who was second in the standings entering the day with 35 winners, and she was in no hurry to leave. It wasn't just the winners, it was the memories that she would be leaving behind. "It was a stressful meet but it was a very different and very successful year...

Fairmount Park has been green-lighted to resume spectator-free racing next week, coinciding with the "Phase 3" stage of the pandemic re-opening plan in Illinois. The St. Louis Post Dispatch first broke the story late Wednesday morning. Jim Watkins, the president of the Illinois Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, told the Post-Dispatch he is not sure of an exact return date, but the plan is to have seven races twice a week. Fairmount, which is 12 miles east of downtown St. Louis, Missouri, traditionally races on Tuesday afternoons and Saturday nights...

Let's cut to the chase. The recent dictum from The Jockey Club (TJC) that North American stallions born in 2020 and forward will be limited to covering 140 mares in a calendar year is an attempt to divert mares from popular stallions to others not as in demand. It's a simplistic approach to a complex issue, and it's akin to applying a Band-Aid to a cut that requires stitches. These days, stallions that need help the most are third- and fourth-year horses and proven mid-priced bread-and-butter stallions with some age...