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Under Strict Health Measures, the Hipodromo de las Americas Resumes i i t t s s 2 20 02 20 0 R R a a c c i i n n g g S S e e a a s s o o n n
by Luis Prieto Zamudio, translation by Speedhorse
After a 6 1/2-month suspension, the Hipodromo de las Americas resumed the racing season on Oct. 2, likely to conclude on Dec. 20. During this period, there will be races contested on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so there will be 33 days of competition.
Because COVID-19’s health situation keeps Mexico City under the “orange epidemiological traffic light” (high risk of contagion), activities will be carried on without a public presence, i.e. behind closed doors.
HEALTH PROVISIONS
The Mexican Administrator of Hipódromo, S.A. de C. V., unveiled on Sept. 3 that only riders and their agents, as well as trainers and assistants, will be able to enter the facilities. This excludes access to horse own- ers on race days (Friday - Sunday); personal access will be allowed the remainder of the week, except for visits from minors or people at risk or vulnerable as long as the health authorities have given approval.
Included among the mandatory health measures that must be observed to enter the Hipodromo are:
• Taking of neck or forehead temperature, which
should not exceed 37.5 degrees Celsius
• Disinfection of footwear on sanitizing mats
• Application of anti-bacterial gel on hands
• Required and correct use of face coverings
during the stay in any area of the racecourse
(covering mouth and nose)
• Compliance with social distancing (healthy
distance), observing the signs that have been
placed in the different areas
• Avoidance of hand shaking, kissing, hugging
and/or any other form of physical contact
• Wash hands frequently or disinfect them with anti-bacterial gel available in different areas of
the race course enclosure
• Access to horse transport vehicles must be through
Gate 3, with prior authorization; the number of people allowed to enter will be proportional to the number of outside horses that will compete for each owner. Before entering, people will go through the corresponding health monitoring stations.
• Only the trainer and their assistant, and the riders and agents, will enter the saddling pad- dock and winner’s circle
• Access to the blood and urine sample collection module for doping tests shall be one person per horse who must have prior authorization for this purpose.
• Racing features will be streamed live for remote viewing.
STAKES BOOK
Following this update is the new com- plete stakes book for Quarter Horses; the Thoroughbreds will run through Nov. 28.
“It has been a long wait and our racing sched- ule has been modified to be able to cover - as far as possible - as many outstanding classics as pos- sible,” the Mexican Association of Quarter Horse Breeders and Horsemen reported in a statement.
Thus, the runners of this breed will participate in 27 stakes from October to December, which are in addition to the seven stakes that were contested in the first weeks of 2020 for a total of 34 for the season. Compared to the original calendar (50), there was a reduction of 16 stakes (32%). On Oct. 4, the Revelation Classic and the John Deere Mexico Juvenile Challenge will be run, as well as qualifying trials for the final of the Alfredo Castro Rea Classic.
A day earlier on Oct. 3, the Thoroughbreds will begin their stakes schedule by participating in the Ruby Classic, Jockey Club Mexicano Stakes, and the Anniversary and Presidential Stakes.
The following weeks will have an increase in activity. On Oct. 17-18, we will see about
180 Mexican Quarter Horse 2 year olds debut that were presented at the 2019 Select Yearling Sale, in the qualifying trials for the Garañones Futurity-RG3, prior to the annual yearling sale. The finals will run on Nov. 8.
The Select Yearling Sale Futurity-RG3 qualify- ing races will be held on Nov. 27 and 29, and the final on Dec. 20.
The respective derbies, whose qualifying trials and finals are duly scheduled, will be contested with horses from the previous year’s two futurities mentioned above.
SELECT YEARLING QUARTER HORSE SALE
As mentioned in previous reports, the dates for this traditional event were also affected. It was ini- tially scheduled for Aug. 25-27, and ended up being postponed until Dec. 1-2, because it is held at the facilities of the Hipodromo de las Americas, which were limited because of health restrictions.
The corresponding catalog includes the entry
of 614 yearlings, a new record number of consign- ments to this event, where the necessary actions will also be applied to prevent COVID-19 contagions, which will be defined in due course.
Until now, breeders have been informed to present to the auction ring only those foals they intend to sell, allowing the duration of the sale to be reduced to two days, as well as risks and cost. Those foals that they have decided to repurchase or have previously been sold were not authorized to be entered, but they retain their right to participate in the classics restricted to them.
We will be reporting the results of these events from Oct. 4 to the end of the season, when the best 3-year-old and older Quarter Horses are mea- sured in the Champion of Champions Classic, just as the best Mexican-bred 2 year olds are contested the final of the Select Auction Futurity.
Racing features will be streamed live for remote viewing.
190 SPEEDHORSE October 2020