Page 18 - September 2020

TRACK UPDATES
RACE TRACK UPDATES DUE TO COVID-19
by John Moorehouse
The Downs at Albuquerque, Albuquerque, New Mexico (runs through Sept. 20)
Later this fall, some of the best Quarter Horses will converge on The Downs at Albuquerque for the Bank of America Challenge Championship night on Oct. 24. Those horse- men who haven’t been there yet can expect something very different from what they’ve seen at the track in years past.With New Mexico’s state government taking an aggressive approach against COVID-19, canceling state-run events and urging the shutdown of other large gather- ings back in March when the pandemic still was in its infancy in the United States, the powers at be at The Downs at Albuquerque had to insti- tute some tough stands to be able to run.
Fans are not allowed at the track, unless they make a reservation at one of the restaurants on the third floor of the venue where patio dining is available. That means total spectator occupancy is in the low hundreds.
“When your capacity is 9,000, that hurts,” said Don Cook, the president of racing at The Downs at Albuquerque.
No fans are allowed down near the track or on the rail. Owners are permitted to watch their horses run from a designated area.
Other precautions during the meet in Albuquerque have included:
• Mandatory masks for track staff, as well as
those in the barn area or going to the third-
floor restaurants
• Daily temperature checks for trainers,
jockeys, and grooms.
• On the restaurant level, a maximum of four
can be seated at any one table.
• Sanitization of the starters’ gates and jockey
boxes at the conclusion of each race day • Mandatory COVID-19 tests for any
individual seeking access to the barn area or
backside of the track
• Limiting the number of individuals in any
winner’s circle photo to six
The track also mandated a 14-day
quarantine for any horsemen coming into Albuquerque from other destinations, before they would be allowed to enter the barn area. That’s in accordance with state mandates, which also currently require out-of-state
travelers to quarantine for 14 days upon arriving in New Mexico.
Cook noted the track offered free COVID-19 tests to all trainers and jockeys from out of town, with a 3-day turnaround on results.
“I can’t have a jockey come in and say, ‘I’ve been tested in Los Alamitos on May 15.’ I won’t accept that,” Cook said. “It’s got to be within 10 days of accepting a mount.”
Most jockeys in New Mexico already
are familiar with these procedures; they’ve been tested at Ruidoso. Jockeys, assistant starters, and valets all had to have a negative COVID-19 test to receive access to the jockeys’ room, where masks were to be worn at all times. After a jockey’s last race, they had about 45 minutes to shower and vacate the jockeys’ room. The track’s sauna room also is closed this year, adding another challenge for any jockey looking to make a lower weight before climbing aboard that next starter.
“We’re doing everything possible to control this,” Cook noted, adding, “We’ve actually had some people we turned away. They were coming in from out of state and didn’t get
the message. How they didn’t get it, I don’t know. We’ve turned people away with high temperatures. You can only do all you can do humanly possible. That we will do. We’re very fortunate to have the city of Albuquerque doing our testing on our grounds. That helps a ton.”
Revenue already was a concern across the Quarter Horse industry, and that was before a pandemic that closed tracks, shuttered casinos, and took a wrecking ball to an often already- shaky bottom line. Online wagering and simulcast remain available.
“We’re doing this for the horsemen,” Cook explained, “to get them some money in their pockets.”
16 SPEEDHORSE September 2020