COVID-19

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...

Plans for easing the remaining COVID-19 raceday restrictions were announced by British racing on Thursday. The weighing room resting requirements would lift by the end of February as a result. The provisional timetable agreed by the industry's COVID-19 Group is as follows: From Monday, 28 Feb., Weighing Room attendees will no longer be expected to show evidence of a negative lateral flow test prior to entry. From Monday, 14 Mar., racecourses will no longer be required to configure the Weighing Room complex for the purposes of COVID-19 infection control. These...

The 2021 Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association National Breeding & Racing Awards will be held on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022. In person for the first time in two years due to the covid pandemic at The Heritage in County Laois, the awards will be live streamed from 10 p.m. local time and are available to view on the ITBA's website.

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...

Longtime west coast trainer and former jockey William 'Bill' Delia died Thursday due to the complications of COVID-19. He was 75 years old. Born Dec. 5, 1946, he began his apprenticeship as a jockey in 1966. After a race-riding career in which he piloted 304 winners, Delia switched to training. Beginning in 1985, his career spanned over four decades, winning 975 races from 7,952 starters, with his runners amassing purse earnings of $16,735,424. The Bay area native was honored with the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA) Trainer of the Year...

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})...

Although the federal racehorse doping conspiracy trial for veterinarian Seth Fishman and his assistant, Lisa Giannelli, paused for the weekend, attorneys for both sides remained busy on Saturday and Sunday, filing requests with the court over the admissibility of evidence regarding an equine fatality and the way witnesses must testify while wearing masks as a pandemic precaution. On Sunday morning, the prosecution filed a motion in United States District Court (Southern District of New York) that asked for permission to present evidence related to Fishman being investigated in Delaware more than...

Dan Mearns, the former managing editor of the Blood-Horse and the Thoroughbred Record, passed away Sunday, January 16 due to complications from Covid-19, according to his brother, Greg, who posed the news on Facebook. "Dear Friends of Dan," he wrote on Mearns's Facebook page. "This post is from his brother, Greg. I am heartbroken to report to you that Dan sadly and suddenly left us on Sunday, January 16, 2022 due to complications from Covid. His last communications with family were, `you don't want to get this,' and `make sure...

The Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Flat Stallion Parade will return after a two-year hiatus at Tattersalls in Newmarket on Feb. 3. Free to attend, the event will feature 12 stallions embarking on their first and second seasons at stud in Great Britain and will begin at 11 a.m. prior to the start of the Tattersalls February Sale. Hosted by racing broadcaster Gina Bryce and Tattersalls' Shirley Anderson-Jolag, the parade's dozen stallions are: A'Ali (Ire) (Society Rock {Ire}), who stands at Newsells Park Stud; Bangkok (Ire) (Australia {GB}), a resident of Chapel...

Jockey Luis Rodriguez Castro tested positive for COVID-19 and will remain off his mounts through Thursday, Jan. 20, according to the New York Racing Association Saturday. Rodriguez Castro will be permitted to return to competition Friday, Jan. 21 should he remain asymptomatic. All members of the NYRA jockey colony are vaccinated and adhere to established protocols. In addition, the jockey quarters at Aqueduct Racetrack have been altered to provide maximum physical distancing and reduce density. NYRA follows the most updated federal and state guidance regarding contact tracing, testing, required isolation,...

A request by defendants Seth Fishman and Lisa Giannelli to delay next week's start of their trial in the alleged nationwide horse doping conspiracy because of COVID-19 concerns was not granted on Thursday by the judge handling the case. Although no specific court order answering the motion had been filed prior to deadline for this story, a summary entry on the court docket describing what happened at a Jan. 13 pre-trial conference contained the notation, "Trial to begin January 19, 2022," which is the originally scheduled start date. In two...