COVID-19

Jockey Christian Ramos has tested positive for COVID-19 and will remain off his mounts at Aqueduct through Sunday, Jan. 16, the New York Racing Association, Inc. announced Thursday. All members of the NYRA jockey colony are vaccinated and adhere to established protocols. In addition, the jockey quarters at Aqueduct Racetrack have been substantially altered to provide maximum physical distancing and reduce density. Ramos sought testing Thursday after experiencing mild symptoms. He received the test result early Thursday morning and was not on-site at Aqueduct. NYRA follows the most updated federal...

Crowd capacity numbers will be reduced at Royal Ascot beginning in 2022, Ascot Racecourse announced on Thursday. After feedback from racegoers attending the smaller scale Royal Ascot in 2021, attendance caps will be instated across the Royal Enclosure, Queen Anne Enclosure, and Windsor Enclosure for the five-day meeting from June 14-18, 2022. In addition to reducing capacity in the Royal Enclosure by 1,000 guests (-7%) to 12,500, a new area for circulation has been added-the Royal Enclosure Gardens. The Queen Anne and Windsor Enclosures have been reduced by 4,150 (20%)...

Attorneys for Seth Fishman and Lisa Giannelli, the first two defendants scheduled to face trial on Jan. 19 in the years-long alleged international horse doping conspiracy, Wednesday asked the judge in the case to delay the trial over concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a highly-redacted document filed Jan. 12 in the United States District Court (Southern District of New York), Fishman's attorney, Maurice Sercarz, wrote that he and Giannelli's lawyer "respectfully submit that the present trial should be adjourned until there has been a substantial reduction in the...

Jockey Manuel Franco tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday and will remain off his mounts until Sunday, Jan. 9. All members of the New York Racing Association jockey colony are vaccinated and adhere to established protocols. In addition, the jockey quarters at Aqueduct have been substantially altered to provide maximum physical distancing and reduce density. Franco has not experienced symptoms and was proactively tested because of standard contact tracing following the positive tests of jockeys Jorge Vargas, Jr. and Jalon Samuel Dec. 31. Vargas and Samuel will be permitted to ride...

Every person entering a UK weighing room on a raceday will be required to present on arrival evidence of a negative Lateral Flow Test (LFT) beginning on Jan. 5, the British Horseracing Authority announced on Thursday. This mandate dovetails with the requirements introduced on Dec. 15, and is in response to the continued increase in COVID-19 cases. The LFT should be completed on each day of racing prior to travelling. Proper evidence of a negative LFT must be demonstrated either via the NHS App, or an NH text message or...

Next year's Irish Thoroughbred Marketing (ITM) Irish Stallion Trail will be open only to breeders and those directly involved in the breeding industry owing to ongoing concerns over rising Covid-19 infections.  More than 25 stallion farms are planning to open their doors on Friday, Jan. 14 and Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022. In previous years the trail has been open to racing fans and members of the public. Those who have already registered will unfortunately no longer be able to attend. Visitors wishing to attend the trail will need to register...

In accordance with the updated UK Government protocols for sports venues, the British Horse Racing Authority (BHA) issued an outline of protocols that enter effect Wednesday, Dec. 15. "Racing must continue to do all we can to protect the health and livelihoods of our people and maintain business continuity," said Dr. Jerry Hill, BHA's Chief Medical Adviser. "These measures are considered essential to support this objective at a time where cases of the Omicron variant of the virus are increasing exponentially and other sports are facing COVID-related fixture cancellations. All...

Betting on U.S. Thoroughbred races was up again year over year in November 2021, while the industry saw a major spike in purses for the month, according to figures released by Equibase Monday. The numbers continue the positive economic trends the sport has seen this year as it slowly emerges from the toll taken by the pandemic. A total of $961,813,331 was wagered on U.S. races in November, up 7.4% from the November 2020 figure of $895,546,532. The November 2021 number is more flat when compared with November 2019, when...

Demand for bloodstock continued in Newmarket on Thursday, albeit at a lower price bracket, as Adaalah (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), a member of the Shadwell draft, brought 82,000gns to top the fourth and final session of the Tattersalls December Mare Sale as the curtain fell on the sales season at Park Paddocks for 2021. Thanks in part to larger drafts from the aforementioned Shadwell, Juddmonte and Godolphin, the former pair having lost their patrons earlier this year, turnover at the December Mare Sale was in excess of 60 million gns,...

Unlike in 2020 when NYRA's Toys for Tots collection was entirely online because the COVID-19 pandemic had closed racing to fans, the 2021 campaign marks a return to a longstanding holiday tradition at Aqueduct, as Marines will be at the Big A on behalf of Toys for Tots to collect new, unwrapped toys that will be given as holiday gifts to disadvantaged children in the community. You can give this year online--and in-person at donation boxes at Aqueduct's main clubhouse entrance, as well as the Turf and Field entrance. The...

The 2022 Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Irish Stallion Trail, which includes over 25 participating farms, will last from Jan. 14-15, 2022 and registration for the event is now open. Free to attend, visitors are asked to register for which studs they intend to visit via the ITM website. Due to high demand, it is mandatory to register for a specific date and time slot in order to visit Coolmore Stud. Please note that the dates and format of the Irish Stallion Trail may change due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In...

Covid passports will not be mandated at British courses by the Racecourse Association (RCA), which has no plans to implement a policy similar to Chelmsford's which requires covid passes. At Chelmsford City, attendees will be required to show a photo ID and a covid pass to attend meetings for the remainder of the year. Wales requires proof of vaccination status or a negative test if crowds exceed a certain level, and Scotland is set to introduce a similar rule. A statement from the Racecourse Association was released on Monday and...