Page 114 - July 2020

NEWS BRIEFS
Hipodromo de las Americás
NEW COVID-19 UPDATE
In the previous update, published in the June 2020 Speedhorse, some expected effects were defined in the Mexican equestrian industry and in the operation of the 2020 race season of Hipodromo de Las Américas, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID 19).
Let us remember that the races have been suspended since March 20, and there was the hope that they would restart on June 26. It was expected that they would be given a similar treatment as other sports, such as football and baseball, in order to be played “behind closed doors” (without the public), in order to revive the economy of horse owners, and thus main- tain the equine racing industry.
However, on June 2, the Hipodromo de
Las Americas defined, “In Mexico City, the epidemiological traffic light is yellow, with a hospital occupancy of less than 50% and with a downward tendency for two weeks, to be in the possibility of operating...”
Three weeks later, another statement in- formed the equestrian community that: “Mexi- can Racetrack Administrator is unable to operate horse racing as a sports event with no public wa- gering, in addition to not having the operational revenue of the Sweepstakes Rooms and Remote Betting Centers, necessary to support the pay- ment of additional prizes to the winners.”
by Luis Prieto Zamudi, Translation by Speedhorse
He also noted that “Within Mexico City’s Gradual Plan Towards the New Normality, our activities (including horse racing) are clearly identified in ‘yellow activities’, such
as parks with recreational facilities, casinos, lotteries and other gambling, within the sec- tion on recreational, cultural, sports and other recreational services.”
Because of this, the restart of the races at the Hipodromo de Las Américas continues to depend on the evolution of the pandemic in Mexico City, until spectators can return to the racetrack. For now, the country’s capital is advancing to orange health traffic lights as of June 29.
“This change in the epidemiological traffic light is due to the decrease in hospitalized and intubated COVID-19 patients in the last 15 days: the hospital occupation is 59% in the country’s capital,” said Claudia Sheinbaum, Head of Government of Mexico City. How- ever, she insisted that “if the hospital occupa- tion exceeds 65%, it will return to the red traffic light.”
Faced with this pandemic, the Mexican Quarter Horse Association of Breeders and Horsemen took two actions: reprogramming and adjusting the calendar of 2020 stakes races, as well as the Select Quarter Horse Yearling Sale.
The reprogramming is “in order to give cer- tainty to the horsemen and trainers in the prepa- ration of their horses... We started tentatively on Sunday, August 16 and we would finish on De- cember 20,” a week after the originally planned date. AMCCCCM emphasized that “The above date does not insure the restart of the season.”
This includes making 34 stakes for Quarter Horses in the above mentioned period, which would be added to the seven made in the first six weeks of the season, to conclude with 41 stakes races, that is, nine fewer than the origi- nally scheduled.
AMCCCCM also reported that the Mexi- can Breeders Futurity, originally planned for December 13 (final), will be integrated with the corresponding Derby 2021 and will be held in February of next year, combining the two purses.
With reference to the Select Quarter Horse Yearling Sale, initially planned from August 25- 27, it will now take place from October 13-15, in the infield of the Hipodromo de las Américas, on the assumption that the racing season will be restarted no later than August 16. Based on the above, the consignment deadline was extended to July 3 and the payment of the nomination fees to the Subasta Selecta and Garañones Futu- rities, on the 10th of the same month.
112 SPEEDHORSE July 2020