Don't Be Shut Out!
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FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020 ©2020 HORSEMAN PUBLISHING CO., LEXINGTON, KY USA • FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION CALL (859) 276-4026 Ohio Tracks Set To Lead The Way In Reopening DON’T BE SHUT OUT! Following the approval of safety protocols by the Ohio JUNE health department and the Ohio State Horse Racing Com- mission (OSRC), horse racing in Ohio is poised to resume on Friday, May 22, at Scioto Downs. Northfield Park is shooting for a possible opening on May 26. On a conference call on Thursday morning, May 14, the OSRC voted unanimously to approve safety/health guide- lines to be followed in con- “We will be placing junction with spectator-free horses from the racing. MONDAY, JUNE 22 Michiana Event Center, Shipshewana, IN same stable to- “Thank you and let’s show gether. We will everyone why we deserve the Demand will be at a high and buyers will operate with a privilege to race in Ohio,” said be looking for young horses, conditioned two-race paddock.” commission chairman Scott horses, as well as breeding stock. –Joe Morris Borgemenke in adjourning the meeting. Online bidding available! The Ohio racing commissioners first met via a conference call on Wednesday morning and gave track operators and FINAL CALL horsemen’s associations representatives the opportunity to FOR ENTRIES comment or ask questions about the safety protocols. In that call Joe Morris, executive vice president of racing for Enter online NOW at Eldorado Resorts, owner of Scioto Downs, said his track was simply waiting for the state to give it the “green light.” www.midwestauctionco.com In a later interview, Morris said that Ohio will allow horses or call 260-463-1649 based out of state to compete if those trainers have “been part of our racing program and regularly raced horses here” Because of social distancing, drivers will need to spend within the last year. time in their vehicles between races. Sulkies, which are Morris, who has been involved in harness racing since he often exclusive to each driver and move from horse to was a young boy growing up in Maine, said his knowledge horse, will be disinfected after each use, said Morris. of what is workable has driven some decisions he has “The way I see it, the workstation for horse racing is the made for Scioto. horse, and other than the sulky, there is no real involvement “We’ll assign stalls in the barn area, since we don’t have a with a horse except their trainer and caretaker.” resident stable population, and we will group horses by sta- Morris said that because of the unknowns about when the bles,” said Morris. “We will be placing horses from the Eldorado gaming operation at Scioto will resume, purses same stable together. We will operate with a two-race pad- will be slightly lower to protect the purse account. dock and horses will move in and out accordingly. Scioto posted qualifiers with conditions, as well as its con- “I plan to be part of checking people in at the gate, and I dition sheets for the first days of racing, because they are will be wearing a mask,” Morris added. “It will be a great tied together to efficiently get horses qualified. way for meet the horsemen.” Continues on page 2 ›››› WHAT’S INSIDE . Mohawk Park set to race June 5—pg. 4 Looking Back at Roses Are Red—pg. 8 Tioga, Vernon hope to resume racing —pg. 5 Harrisburg sale to start Nov. 3—pg. 8 SBOANJ reaches out to lawmakers—pg. 5 Hawthorne waiting on Governor’s OK—pg. 9 Breeding Banter: Williams about PA—pg. 7 Muscles Yankee dies at Perretti Farms—pg. 11 Hoosier Park requests June 16 return—pg. 8 Stars desperately seeking racing-part 5—pg. 12 HarnessRacing Weekend Preview, 2 of 14 May 15, 2020 www.harnessracing.com “When we start qualifying Saturday, the horses that will be permitted to qualify are horses that will match or fit the conditions of the races we’re carding on May 22,” explained Morris. “We expect to have qualifiers for four or five straight days and all of them will match up to the condition sheets for racing.” Dave Bianconi, race secretary at MGM’s Northfield Park, said he will also link horses eligible to qualify to those that fit the condition sheet, which he expects to post sometime Friday. Northfield Park was the last Ohio track to race this year, continuing until it was shut down on March 18. It was con- ducting racing with social distancing at that time, with just two races in the paddock at a time. “We actually raced with social distancing for a week, so we’re confident we can follow all the guidelines,” said Bianconi. The safety protocols for ALL participants involved in con- ducting racing include those commonly cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for general busi- ness re-openings. Among them are the following: • Wearing, at minimum, a suitable mask or face covering prior to entering and all times while on the grounds. A medical screening which will include a medical question- naire related to Covid-19 symptoms, known contact with anyone confirmed to have Covid-19, travel to or from places that require quarantine per Ohio Department of Health orders related to Covid-19 and a temperature read- ing. Anyone who does not comply will be required to leave the grounds. • No congregating in any areas. Only trainers and horsemen with horses stabled at the track or racing that day and oth- ers responsible for the care of the horses are allowed in the stable area. • Social distancing must be followed. HarnessRacing Weekend Preview • Hand sanitizing stations will be provided by the track at numerous locations in the barns and around the backside. Kathy Parker Heather Kemper Antibacterial liquid soap will be kept stocked in restrooms [email protected] [email protected] Editor/ General Manager Production Manager and bath houses. Personnel are urged to make frequent Lynne Myers Hannah Reynolds use of the sanitizers and soap. Sharing of barn/horse [email protected] [email protected] equipment shall be minimized. Advertising Manager Editorial Production Gordon Waterstone Vanessa Flannery • Grandstand and frontside access will be strictly limited [email protected] [email protected] to racing officials and required track staff. Until specta- Associate Editor Accounting & Circulation tors are allowed, owners will be prohibited from the For mail sent via U.S. Postal Service, grounds. Paddock access will be limited to officials, either P.O. Box 8480, Lexington, KY 40533, or 1910 Harrodsburg Rd., Suite 200, Lexington, KY 40503. (859) 276-4026 the trainer, groom, warm up personnel and horse. © Copyright Horseman Publishing Company. Winner’s Circle pictures will be limited to horse and A product of Horseman Publishing Company, publishers of the website driver. Officials/charter/announcer/video/timer/photo www.harnessracing.com and The Horseman And Fair World magazine. finish must be conducted with safe distancing proto- This newspaper may not be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior written permission. cols or install barriers. • The Race Office/Judge’s office/OSRC office must perform To sign up for the Weekend Preview please visit required functions with adequate room to comply with so- www.harnessracing.com/members_sign_up.php cial distancing guidelines.—By Kathy Parker HarnessRacing Weekend Preview, 4 of 14 May 15, 2020 www.harnessracing.com Mohawk To Resume Racing June 5; protocols, sessions will be limited to 50 horses each, with NA Cup May Be Held Late August signups to take place online in advance of each session. “Thereafter, we’ll go Wednesdays and Sundays for training On Thursday, May 14, the Ontario government announced at Mohawk.” a framework to gradually reopen the Province in stages. May 27 is also the target date for Mohawk’s first condition Stage 1, which is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, May 19, al- sheet to be published. The rescheduling of stakes is also lows for horse racing without spectators and physical dis- being assessed now. tancing measures in place. “We are planning on effectively leaving the stakes sched- “This is great news for the sport of horse racing and the ule as it is,” Lawson assured. “It begs the question on the tens of thousands of people it employs throughout the North America Cup, but right now we’re contemplating on Province,” said Jim Lawson, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment. that being in late August.” “With this news, our plans to resume Standardbred racing To maximize visibility of the Woodbine and Mohawk prod- at Mohawk Park on June 5 and Thoroughbred racing on ucts in the absence of spectators in grandstands, Lawson June 6 at Woodbine remain on track. We appreciate the gov- mentioned a marketing push for their HPI advance wager- ernment’s recognition that we can operate spectator-free ing platform and outlined talks between Woodbine and TSN horse racing safely by following strict physical distancing to air horse racing live in prime time. protocols. “I think it would be great for our sport to be prime time on “I would also like to thank the entire horse racing commu- a major network,” said Lawson. nity for their patience, understanding and commitment in Given the fragile nature of racing’s resumption, Lawson following health guidelines during this time. In doing so, it implored all racing participants to act responsibly and has put the entire industry in the position to resume live mindfully of the greater good of the industry. horse racing in the coming weeks.” “I would just ask people to be respectful,” he said.