COVID-19 pandemic

Keeneland's 2020 September Yearling Sale will begin as planned Monday, Sept. 14, the sales company asserted in a press release Friday. "This auction is vital not only to Keeneland, but to the entire Thoroughbred industry and the Central Kentucky community at large," Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. "The Keeneland sales team is moving forward full steam with plans for the September Sale. Like every aspect of life right now, there are unknowns and we do not have all the answers yet. However, one thing is certain: We are...

Edited Release, courtesy Gulfstream Park Calling it "the biggest challenge of my life," popular Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano has overcome being diagnosed with the coronavirus. Castellano, 42, spent 14 days in quarantine at the South Florida home of his 64-year-old mother, where Gulfstream's five-time Championship Meet leading rider had been since testing positive upon his arrival from New York to ride over GI Curlin Florida Derby weekend in late March. As part of strict protocols put into place by Gulfstream management, all riders who came in from out...

Newbury Racecourse has offered its extensive space while waiving site fees for varying relief efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among initiatives, Newbury has banded with Age Concern Newbury & District and Swift Couriers, who have delivered meals on wheels in the district for over 50 years, to feed the elderly in West Berkshire during the crisis. The effort is being overseen by Healthwatch West Berkshire in consultation with West Berkshire Council Adult Social Care and Public Health. In addition to providing a dedicated area of the site, Newbury offers use...

TDN Intern Katie Ritz polled a series of industry members to see if they had found anything good that has come out of the current crisis. Their responses will appear every day in the TDN. To submit your own, email [email protected] ELLIOTT WALDEN The silver lining in the current crisis we find ourselves in is clear. In America, we have gone away from our faith in God. We live in a fallen world where there is heartache and despair... where bad things happen to good people, and good things happen...

Al Shaqab's Haras de Bouquetot in Normandy, which closed its breeding shed in late March because of the coronavirus pandemic, will resume its stallion activity for the public, beginning Monday, Apr. 6. According to a farm release, "This fortnight has allowed us to put in place the various safety measures against the spreading of virus Covid-19 with the aim to minimize the risks for each person coming to Haras de Bouquetot. It has also allowed us to setup a protocol for our team of stallion men to safely welcome public...

The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation has donated 1,000 Kroop's Brands face shields to the New York Racing Association racetrack community as it deals with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. NYRA's Aqueduct Racetrack is the location for a temporary medical facility being constructed to help during the pandemic.  "The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation is committed to helping Thoroughbred racing industry personnel, and providing face shields to NYRA during this difficult time is another way that we are able to help," said Shannon Kelly, executive director, The Jockey Club...