Two-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. became the latest high-profile jockey testing positive for COVID-19. As a result, Ortiz goes back on the shelf for at least 10 days. The Daily Racing Form reported that Ortiz took the test Monday at his current Saratoga Springs, New York, residence. His […]
Tag: COVID-19
Preakness Jockeys Subject to Drive-Up COVID-19 Tests, Other Protocols
Maryland Jockey Club officials announced Friday that jockeys riding Preakness weekend at Pimlico Race Course must undergo COVID-19 testing 72 hours prior to their first mount. That’s one of numerous safety protocols MJC officials instituted for Preakness weekend, which begins Thursday, Oct. 1, and culminates with the 145th Preakness Stakes […]
Officials Scratch Fans from Suddenly Spectator-Free Kentucky Derby
Churchill Downs officials announced on Friday that the 146th Kentucky Derby will run without fans, doubling-back on its fervent desire to run America’s most iconic horse race with a semblance of Derby atmosphere. The decision came in the wake of a spike in COVID-19 cases in Kentucky. The state reported […]
Colonial Downs Cancels Remainder of 2020 Meet Due to COVID-19
Virginia’s Colonial Downs is the latest racing victim of COVID-19, announcing Friday evening that its canceled the remainder of its 2020 summer meet. The abrupt closure came three days after jockey Trevor McCarthy, who led the track’s jockey standings with 14 wins, tested positive for COVID-19. The Daily Racing Form […]
Churchill Downs Limit Kentucky Derby Attendance to 40% of Capacity
In further response to COVID-19 health and safety concerns, Churchill Downs Racetrack officials released a 62-page health and safety operations plan on Wednesday that will limit Kentucky Derby attendance to fewer than 23,000 guests for the Sept. 5 race. That total is less than 14% of the record 170,513 fans […]
Churchill Downs Orders Derby, Oaks Jockeys to Kentucky by August 24
In their latest response to the coronavirus pandemic, Churchill Downs officials issued a mandate on Monday to jockeys at both the Saratoga and Del Mar colonies. They need to be in Kentucky no later than Aug. 24 if they want to ride in the Kentucky Derby or Kentucky Oaks. That’s […]
Betting Global Warming 101 — A Primer
He once set odds on where a tracking-device-enabled shark would be in a given body of water. So while David Strauss was playing with numbers in the water, the chief oddsmaker for MyBookie indulged his passion for creating real-life odds markets on a global scale. Make that a global warming […]
After Abrupt Closure, Lone Star Park Resumes Racing
Two weeks after it abruptly suspended racing due to an employee testing positive for COVID-19, Lone Star Park in Texas resumes racing on Sunday. The track, located in the north Dallas suburb of Grand Prairie, made the announcement almost in secret. It announced the reopening on its Twitter feed, which […]
Del Mar ‘Takes Weekend Off’ After 15 Riders Test Positive for COVID-19
Del Mar abruptly canceled its weekend racing card for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after mass testing revealed 15 jockeys are positive for COVID-19. Del Mar Thoroughbred Club CEO Joe Harper said in a statement that in the wake of numerous Southern California-based jockeys testing positive out of the Los Alamitos […]
NYRA Bans Outside Riders From Prestigious Saratoga Meet
In an effort to control the rampaging coronavirus among jockeys, the New York Racing Association took an unprecedented step for its crown-jewel Saratoga meet on Tuesday, closing the meet to out-of-town jockeys. That means only members of the NYRA jockey colony, which currently consists of 22 regular jockeys and three […]
Florent Geroux Latest High-Profile Jockey Testing Positive for COVID-19
Florent Geroux joined the lengthening list of prominent jockeys testing positive for COVID-19 over the past week, revealing his positive test results on Twitter Tuesday morning. Unlike Martin Garcia, Luis Saez, Victor Espinoza, and Flavien Prat – all of whom tested positive in the last week — Geroux didn’t ride […]
Art Collector Becomes Hottest Object on Kentucky Derby Futures Board
Winning the Blue Grass Stakes made Art Collector the latest shiny object for Kentucky Derby bettors to focus on as his odds to win the Sept. 5 Run for Roses plunged across the board. On Circa Sports’ Kentucky Derby Futures Board, Art Collector sits at 7/1. He’s now the fourth […]
Flavien Prat is Fifth Los Alamitos Rider Testing Positive for COVID-19
The COVID-19 outbreak from Los Alamitos’ July 4 card claimed another jockey Sunday when Flavien Prat tested positive for the coronavirus. Prat, the West Coast’s leading rider, just captured the Santa Anita Park riding title. He’s also the fourth jockey from Los Alamitos’ Independence Day card to test positive, joining […]
Breakout Rider Luis Saez Tests Positive for COVID-19
Standout rider Luis Saez became the latest jockey testing positive for COVID-19 Friday, ending his run at Keeneland’s five-day summer meet and sending him into immediate quarantine. The jockey learned of the positive test after riding Fortuna to a second-place finish in a $70,000 maiden special weight race Friday. He […]
Jockey Martin Garcia Latest Rider Testing Positive for Coronavirus
The COVID-19 pandemic invaded the horse racing world again this week when jockey Martin Garcia tested positive for the coronavirus. The news came after Kentucky health officials told Garcia about his positive test, according to the Daily Racing Form. Garcia’s agent, Jay Fedor, said Garcia was on his way to […]
Lone Star Park Abruptly Closes, Cites COVID-19 as Reason
Lone Star Park suddenly suspended its Sunday racing card and officials announced via Twitter that they’re halting all racing at the Texas track until further notice. The announcement came from the track’s Twitter feed, which cited “an abundance of caution†due to COVID-19. It provided no further details, either on […]
Del Mar Goes the Extra Miles Implementing Human, Horse Health Reforms
In this coronavirus era, you expect to read about the health protocols for Del Mar’s impending summer meet. But officials from the seaside track north of San Diego unveiled further guidelines addressing horse safety along with human safety. The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club (DMTC), which operates the track, announced the […]
On Eve of Meet, Seven Ellis Park Workers Test Positive for COVID-19
Less than a week before Ellis Park Race Track’s most historic season is set to begin, the track announced that seven backstretch workers tested positive for COVID-19. Track officials announced their summer meet will begin as scheduled on Thursday, with limited fans in attendance. Of the seven Ellis Park backstretch […]
Kentucky Derby Will Run with Spectators, Limited Access, Strict Rules
Churchill Downs officials announced Thursday that the 146th Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks will run with a limited and yet unspecified number of spectators, a decision made in consultation with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and state public health officials. In so doing, Churchill Downs is trying to make a concerted […]
Lone Star, Canterbury Break From Pack and Open Gates to Racing Fans
Breaking from a different gate than its larger racetrack brethren in this COVID-19 era, Lone Star Park will open its gates to fans beginning Sunday. The gates remain open through Aug. 11, the tentative end of the Texas racetrack’s summer meet. Beating Lone Star by four days in allowing fans […]