Coronavirus

Coronavirus dictated that it wasn't exactly business at usual at Happy Valley Racecourse for the staging of Wednesday's Longines International Jockeys' Championship. But there was a return to at least some semblance of normalcy, as a crowd of about 11,000 fans filed into the stands and into the beer garden to watch Silvestre de Sousa finish level with Tom Marquand to cause a dead heat for just the third time in the history of the event. The duo shared HK$700,000 (£73,544) in prize money. COVID-19 had already resulted original IJC...

Back after a two-year COVID-19 hiatus, the 2022 Goffs UK Aintree Sale was topped by the winning point-to-pointer Croke Park (Ire) (Walk In The Park {Ire}) (lot 8) at £400,000. A 4-year-old gelding who ran second at Lingstown on debut in March, the Ballyboy Stables-consigned bay was purchased by Gordon Elliot Racing. His half-brother, Etre Francais (Ire) (Anzillero {Ger}), has placed third in a French listed hurdle. This is the family of the graded-winning chaser Oiseau de Nuit (Fr) (Evening World {Fr}). Second on the buyers' sheet was lot 1,...

The Mar. 26 Dubai World Cup night, which features $30.5 million in purses spread across nine races, is expected to attract a full house of fans for the 26th edition. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, race meetings have been conducted with restrictions placed on the number of people allowed to attend, but for the first time since 2019, there are no restrictions at a Meydan race day. Meydan Racecourse can hold up to 80,000 spectators. Sheikh Rashid bin Dalmook Al Maktoum, the Chairman of Dubai Racing Club, said, "We are...

Beginning on Friday, Mar. 11, the first 1,000 students to sign up to Gradguide's free platform will receive access to purchase their Apr. 6 Student Race Day ticket for Leopardstown at a discounted price of €20. Gradguide, which connects students and graduates with fast-growing companies across Ireland, the UK, Germany, France, Netherlands and the U.S.A., is also the new sponsor of the Listed Heritage S. at Leopardstown on Apr. 6. To sign up to Gradguide, please click here. Mark Hughes, CEO & Founder of Gradguide, said, "Gradguide is excited to...

Feature courtesy of the New York Racing Association From the desk of his cramped office at the New York division of the Race Track Chaplaincy of America (NYRTCA) on Belmont Park's backstretch, Chaplain Humberto Chavez can gaze out the window at what he calls, "something we've been planning for and dreaming of for years." Directly north of the NYRTCA's current office, a team of New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) carpenters, electricians and plumbers are at work constructing the Chaplaincy's new 3,500-square-foot building, which will double the Chaplaincy's current space...

The three-pound COVID allowance for riders will be replaced with an across-the-board two-pound rise in the published weights, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) confirmed on Monday. In addition, the current three-pound back protector allowance will be raised to a general four-pound safety allowance for jockeys. These changes will go into effect for races staged from Monday, May 2, following further discussions with the Professional Jockeys Association (PJA), National Trainers Federation (NTF), and a number of Flat and Jump jockeys. Horses will continue to carry the same weights that they have...

Group 1 winner Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}), who finished 11th in the G3 Neom Turf Cup on the Saudi Cup undercard in Riyadh on Saturday, is in good order and remains in the mix for the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic on Dubai World Cup night on Mar. 26. Breaking widest of all from gate 14 on Saturday, the 5-year-old entire never appeared comfortable while trapped well off the fence for most of the race. He eventually tired and dropped back before being impeded by a rival that had fallen...

Godolphin jockey William Buick, who was slated to ride the Jan. 21 G2 Al Fahidi Fort hero Naval Crown (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G3 1351 Turf Sprint on the Saturday of the Saudi Cup meeting, has tested positive for Covid and will be off his mounts in Riyadh on Saturday. Also due to ride Siskany (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G3 Longines Red Sea Turf H., Noble Truth (Fr) (Kingman {GB}) in the G3 Saudi Derby and Copano Kicking (Spring At Last) in the G3 Riyadh Cup Sprint, Buick...

British racing has dropped mandatory Covid-19 testing for weighing room entry effective Thursday, following the change to self-isolation rules in England. Access to the weighing room will continue to be restricted to essential personnel. British Horseracing Authority Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Jerry Hill said, "Throughout the pandemic, we have endeavoured to make evidence-based decisions that protect our people and safeguard the industry against Covid-19-related disruption. In recent months, testing for weighing room personnel has been a crucial part of this strategy and I'd again like to thank everyone for their...

Oisin Murphy has been banned 11 months for breaching Covid rules in September 2020, and must serve an additional 100 days for two alcohol breaches. He has also been fined £31,111. The three-time champion jockey, therefore, will not be eligible to ride again until Feb. 16, 2023. The bans have been backdated to Dec. 8, the day that Murphy handed in his license while announcing he was seeking professional help when the breaches were revealed. In a Tuesday hearing, the 26-year-old Murphy admitted to all five charges brought against him...

Racecourses will receive payments from the Racecourse Media Group (RMG) that are on par with pre-covid levels, the company revealed on Thursday. A total of £110 million, earned through racecourses' media and data rights, is projected to be paid to RMG shareholders for 2021. RMG is 100% owned by its racecourse shareholders and pays 100% of operating profit back to racecourses. Chairman Roger Lewis, who will step down at the end of the year, said, "I thank and congratulate everyone involved in racing for their herculean efforts in 2021. The...

Frankie Dettori has tested positive for Covid-19 and will therefore miss his rides at Meydan on Friday as he self isolates. "I won't be riding this weekend, as I've tested positive for Covid," the jockey said in a video posted to Twitter. "I'm restricted in my room for a few days. I'm feeling a bit under the weather, but I've had my vaccine so we should survive. I'll keep you posted, but I'm not going to be doing much anyway." The Saeed bin Suroor-trained Real World (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire})...