Page 89 - Speedhorse June 2020

racing. Purses were reduced slightly because Remington lost its on-track handle for most of the meet. But the track never lost any of its stakes, which was key with 2 year olds beginning to race.
“It was important to run those big races,” said Vance. “After all, that’s where the value of the breed comes in. We felt it would probably hurt
the Quarter Horse breed more if we had nixed those races and put that money into overnight races. We’re fortunate at Remington to have a great casino program to generate a lot of purse money.”
The track modified its jockey quarters
to allow for social distancing and closed the sauna. A full-time member of the track cleaning crew was designated to keep everything in the jockeys’ room ultra-clean.
Jockeys leaving the jurisdiction had to quarantine upon their return. Remington followed Oklahoma guidelines, especially with regard to not allowing people in from states with especially high COVID-19 outbreaks.
Remington and Ruidoso Downs worked together to provide a method for jockeys to travel only between those two tracks during the short overlap at the end of the Remington meet and beginning of Ruidoso. That way jockeys could ride in schooling races at Ruidoso and still compete in Remington races.
At first, racehorse owners could not attend the Remington races. However, in order to allow owners to claim horses or lodge objections, provisions were made to give them access to the horsemen’s bookkeeper and claims clerk. Owners were allowed back into the track as the meeting progressed, at first just one representative per horse and only for their specific race.
Masks were required of anyone on the grounds, including fans when they were allowed to return.
“It was our responsibility, because our signal goes out around the globe, for people to have masks,” said Vance. “I was really proud of everybody that first night that everybody showed up in masks.”
Even though wearing a mask could be a hindrance for some people on horseback, they complied, aware of the goals to keep everyone safe and the racetrack open.
By the end of the meeting, Global Gaming was in the process of conducting COVID-19 testing on all of its employees. Vance said that numbered some 6,000 to 8,000 people.
With Remington having successfully completed the Quarter Horse meeting under COVID-19 safety protocols, the Thoroughbreds are slated to arrive in mid-July for their meeting, which runs from Aug. 21-Dec. 20. Vance is hopeful the Thoroughbred meet and the 2021 Quarter Horse meet can move forward normally.
“I want to give thanks to the horsemen’s group and the OHRC,” said Vance. “Without those groups and the Department of Agriculture, we couldn’t have gotten this pulled off. Every team member at Remington really chipped in, too. I’m real fortunate that we’ve got a great team.”
How Remington Park navigated the path to keeping racing going for the good of the industry is a testament to teamwork, both within the organization and from other industry participants.
Masks were required and temperatures were taken as fans were required to pass through screening procedures at the entrance.
Race fans practice social distancing on closing night of the Remington Park meet.
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