COVID-19

A total of £150,000 will be split amongst the winning team of the Racing League, with an additional £50,000 to be divided between the three jockeys with the most points across the 36-race challenge, the Racing League announced on Wednesday. There was already £1.8 million in guaranteed prize money on offer, bringing the total over £2 million to be decided across six race days and 12 teams this summer. The extra £200,000 will be shared by the winning team and leading jockeys as follows: £60,000 to the trainers £30,000 shared...

In conjunction with the Irish EBF Ballyhane S., Naas Racecourse has partnered with Barretstown, a children's charity, which has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. A JustGiving page has been set up here and Naas is requesting minimum donations of €5. Each donation will be placed in a draw-to be held on July 30--and assigned one of 24 horses in the €300,000 Irish EBF Ballyhane S. on Aug. 2. The fundraiser will close on Juy 28 at noon. The person assigned to the winning horse will receive a €5,000...

The Arqana v.2 Yearling Sale, which took a hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will return to its home in Deauville directly after the Arqana August Sale. A one-day event, the Aug. 17 sale features 146 colts and fillies geared toward precocity on the racecourse. Current poster girl is 2021 G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Coeursamba (Fr) (The Wow Signal {Ire}), while earlier distinguished alumni include fellow French 1000 Guineas heroine Teppal (Fr) (Camacho {GB}) and Olmedo (Fr) (Declaration of War), who won the colts' equivalent in...

The Great Community Race Day, the brainchild of Carlisle Racecourse non-executive committee member Bruce Jones and his wife Sue who founded OEE, a Carlisle-based engineering company, will be held on Thursday, July 8. Keen to support and contribute towards the local community, the couple decided to sponsor a racing fixture and the concept of the Great Community Race Day was born. Each of the six races on Thursday's card will include the name of one of the following charities that the team at OEE had been personally involved with and...

The 20th running of the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup will feature veteran reinswoman Hayley Turner, Ascot announced on Tuesday. Turner, who has won the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle in 2018 and 2019, is the leading jockey in the history of the event with 297 points from 13 appearances. Turner said, "I'm excited that the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup is around the corner. It's one of my favourite days of the year. The girls team is always strong and we get lots of supporters which is great. It's going...

Wagering on U.S. races has dipped slightly from $998,331,984 in 2020 to $993,147,243 this season, according to the Thoroughbred Racing Economic Indicators released by Equibase Tuesday. The drop represents a 0.52% change over a year ago. Conversely, wagering rose 0.22% from pre-COVID-19 figures in 2019 when $990,923,384 was wagering during the month of June. In 2021, purses rose 49.17% to $103,624,634 from last year as did race days which increased to 437 from 300 in 2020. Purse figures for the comparable time frame in 2019 were $115,194,83, with 499 race...

England is on course to remove the COVID-19 enforced limit of attendees at sporting events from July 19, according to an announcement from the UK Government. A final decision on easing restrictions, which currently limits attendance to just 4,000 spectators at each race meeting, will be made on July 12. During Royal Ascot, up to 12,000 were allowed to attend through a Government pilot scheme. In addition to ending spectator limits, the one-metre social distancing rule will end, as will the compulsory wearing of masks. "If we do find another...

Woodbine Racetrack will allow spectators--at 25% capacity in the grandstand and on the track apron--beginning on Canada Day, July 1. "We are thrilled to be able to open our doors on Canada Day and welcome back our owners and some spectators to the track who have been dearly missed," said Jim Lawson, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment. "We have been operating live racing for a couple of weeks now, but it's just not the same with empty stands. We are thankful to the government for entrusting us to safely welcome back a...

The graduation ceremony for the 2021 National Stud Diploma took place Friday, June 25. Numbers were limited due to the extension of COVID-19 restrictions, however, students were joined by staff and parents with additional guests joining via a live stream from the Joan Westbrook Lecture Theatre. The assessment of the Diploma is comprised of practical work, an exam based on the Evening Lecture Program and a commercial broodmare selection project. "We feel really lucky to have been able to have some, if not all guests, in attendance this year," said...

Breeders' Cup will utilize 100% of seated capacity at Del Mar for the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships. Tickets will go on sale to the public at Noon ET and 9 a.m. PT Friday, July 16. Available seating options and pricing can be viewed now at BreedersCup.com/tickets. Del Mar is set to host the World Championships, one of Thoroughbred racing's most prestigious international events, for just the second time Nov. 5-6. "After conducting the 2020 World Championships without fans in attendance, we are delighted to be able to safely welcome...

Edited press release After racing with no fans in 2020, Saratoga will open with 100% capacity in 2021, the New York Racing Association announced today. With 70% of adult New Yorkers now vaccinated against COVID-19, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Tuesday the immediate removal of COVID-19 protocols and restrictions for nearly all activities and industries, including outdoor sports and entertainment venues. Accordingly, NYRA will open all sections at Saratoga at 100%. The lifting of all COVID-19 protocols, including the requirement for fans to provide vaccination status, applies to all hospitality...

After the UK Government announced that they would be taking a four-week pause on the country's progression out of COVID-19 restrictions on Monday, the UK Racing industry acknowledged the reasons for the delay, but expressed disappointment at the news. The COVID-19 roadmap out of lockdown had been due to switch to Stage 4 on June 21, but instead the current restrictions will continue, affecting major racing events like Coral-Eclipse Day at Sandown Park, and the Moet & Chandon July Festival at Newmarket. Currently, the industry is working with the Horserace...