UNIONVILLE,, Pa.--The Cheshire Point-to-Point will not be held on June 14, but may be held in October.
Kathy Neilson, a member of the Cheshire race committee, said that, due to racing not yet being opened by Pennsylvania Gov. Wolf, that it wasn't possible to run the point-to-point in June.
"With only 25 people allowed to meet together it wasn't possible to run in June," said Neilson. "We are hoping to run the point-to-point in October. We haven't got a date yet for that."
TAMPA Bay Downs has added eight dates in June to its 2019-2020 Thoroughbred racing calendar after its request was approved by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
The track will conduct racing in June on Mondays and Wednesdays: June 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22 and 24.
Spectators will not be allowed, nor will they be permitted to attend the track’s annual two-day Summer Festival of Racing June 30 and July 1.
Tampa Bay Downs is racing on a Wednesday-Friday-Saturday schedule through May 30.
Management expects the additional dates will help ease the financial hardship felt by many horsemen during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
KEENELAND has submitted a request to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission’s Race Dates Committee for a five-day summer meet, to be held Wednesday, July 8 through Sunday, July 12. Under the current safety protocols, the summer meet would be held without spectators. The summer dates accommodate a portion of the 16-day spring meet that Keeneland was forced to cancel due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Keeneland also will share return to racing protocols with Gov. Andy Beshear’s office and local health officials for their approval. To ensure the safety of staff, horsemen and others on its grounds with regard to COVID-19, Keeneland, along with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and other Kentucky race tracks, has developed strict protocols for stabling and racing. Keeneland’s COVID-19 protocols will mirror those currently in place at Churchill Downs.
“We are excited about the return of racing to Keeneland and know this will be welcome news for our horsemen, fans and the Central Kentucky community,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “This purse money represents significant income for horsemen, and while the races will be spectator-free, the Keeneland team is hard at work on creative ways to involve fans watching at home and to enhance our simulcast product for handicappers.”
IN GREAT BRITAIN, Championship Horse Racing announced that, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the inaugural Racing League has been postponed until summer 2021.
Chief Executive of the Racing League, Jeremy Wray, said: “Although disappointed, we are making the decision now to postpone the Racing League until 2021. We have committed £1.8m prize money to the British Horseracing Authority, and will use the time we now have to work with horsemen, our partners and stakeholders to make the competition a really positive addition to the flat racing calendar for next year.”
The Racing League will comprise 36 races over six consecutive Thursday evening meetings in July and August 2021.
Arena Racing Company (ARC) Chief Executive, Martin Cruddace, said: “Given the current period of uncertainty that everyone across British racing and the wider business world faces, it is of course the sensible decision to postpone the introduction of the Racing League until next summer.
Matthew Imi, Chief Executive of Sky Sports Racing, commented: “We remain excited at the prospect of working with Jeremy and his colleagues to launch the Racing League, albeit a year later than anticipated. The proposition is genuinely innovative and we look forward, as soon as we are able, to previewing next year’s competition and building the narrative across Sky Sports Racing and our digital and international platforms.”
