Horse Owners Aim to Weather COVID-19 Cancellation Storm

Across much of the United States, horse owners are shaken from COVID-19-related shutdowns of racetracks that have brought Thoroughbred racing to a halt in many states. Gone is much of their revenue from racing purses, though not expenses, which continue with the necessary daily care and regular training of their runners. 

Despite the financial obstacles, some are not yet ready to pull the plug on their racing stables, hopeful that a resumption of racing could occur in the weeks or months. BloodHorse spoke with three owners in affected regions, all of whom look forward to an eventual return to normalcy, both for the world and on the racetrack.

Ed Boden, managing partner for Drawing Away Stable, a racing partnership that topped the Aqueduct Racetrack owner standings prior to that track's COVID-19 closure in mid-March, said they have adjusted their pay structure to accommodate trainers and backstretch staff in the midst of the crisis. 

The partnership, which normally operates under an incentivized business model that does not pay trainers a day rate, but rather a "majority of the purse," Boden said, has reached agreements with some of its New York-based trainers to provide a means of income for them in states where racing has been canceled. 

Also hurting are some of his 220 partners in Drawing Away Stable.

"One partner owns two businesses and just called by (Friday) and said he had to close both businesses down—he's getting slaughtered," Boden said.  "So he had a significant amount in his account and I sent him out a check."

According to Boden, he has deferred to his trainers for decisions regarding which horses should go to the farm or remain in training. Drawing Away employs up to 16 trainers, though some are running horses in states still racing without spectators, such as Florida. Linda Rice, Rob Atras, A. C. Avila, Domenick Schettino, Orlando Noda, John Toscano Jr., and Robert Falcone Jr. won races for Drawing Away this winter in now-shuttered New York.

"It's frustrating to see all these horses having really good workouts," he said. "A. C. has one horse, a maiden, and he's working lights out and he has no place to run him."

Unlike in New York, where six cases of COVID-19 were reported among backstretch personnel at Belmont Park by March 26, California racetracks have not announced positive tests to date. Regardless, they have been affected by safety protocols meant to limit the spread of the virus. Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields were closed by their counties' health departments on March 27 and April 2, respectively, and many other California businesses not deemed to provide essential services have also been forced to close.

Nick Alexander, an owner and breeder in the state and the chair of Thoroughbred Owners of California, said his racehorses will remain in training, though he could have opted to return them to his Horse Haven Ranch in Santa Ynez, Calif. Horses are able to continue to train at racetracks and training centers in California.

"Obviously the engine that drives the car is racing. Without the purse money, trainers don't have the money to pay the backstretch people and the owners don't have the purse money to pay the trainers," he said. "Our focus right now is encouraging our owners to keep their horses at the racetrack, other than bringing them home, so that if we are able to return to racing soon, that our horses will be fit and ready to go rather than have a ramp-up period to the races."

On April 4, the TOC issued an email notice to its membership that "there have been discussions with Santa Anita, Los Alamitos and the (California Horse Racing Board) regarding the possibility of transferring live racing dates from Santa Anita to Los Alamitos given that Orange County (where Los Alamitos is located) continues to treat both racing and training as an essential activity."

According to the TOC email, a transfer of race dates would require numerous approvals and the process could not occur until "at the earliest the next CHRB meeting scheduled for April 22."

Not having a turf course, Los Alamitos Race Course conducts only dirt racing. It is currently running an evening Quarter Horse meet with a select number of Thoroughbreds competing in 4 1/2-furlong races. It ran a full afternoon Thoroughbred meet from Dec. 6-15, positioned between those at Del Mar and Santa Anita.

Alexander was the third leading owner at Santa Anita behind Hronis Racing and Reddam Racing before the suspension of afternoon racing there, winning with eight of 16 starters since the meet began Dec. 28. He also went 6-for-9 at Golden Gate during a season that began two days earlier on Dec. 26.

He praised The Stronach Group executives Aidan Butler and Craig Fravel for their efforts to continue racing in a spectatorless environment prior to the shutdowns. TSG operates Santa Anita and Golden Gate in the state.

Alexander expects to be ready to run his horses when racing resumes.

"We can't keep them racing fit on the farm. So they're safe at the racetrack and it's keeping our trainers with income," he said.

Elsewhere, the lost racing dates come at an inopportune time for owner-trainer Jeff Greenhill, who largely focuses on a breed-to-race program of Ohio-breds and Indiana-breds with his wife, Sherri, and partners. In Indiana, racing is geared around a spring-to-fall schedule of races, meaning a delayed opening at Indiana Grand due to COVID-19 has shortened his window of opportunity.

"This is the time of year that I get to put meat in the soup," he said.

He did that at Indiana Grand last year when homebreds Toss of Fate and Moves Like Magic won two stakes apiece there. They earned $193,118 and $222,238 in 2019, respectively.

He is appreciative of his current base at Turfway Park in Northern Kentucky allowing horsemen to continue to train there, even after its meet came to an early end in late March due to COVID-19. Horsemen in portions of Louisiana have not been as fortunate, with the Louisiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association last week issuing a notice that Boyd Gaming-owned tracks Delta Downs and Evangeline Downs were not allowing training. 

"We're waiting every day for word that eventually we'll be able to get to Indiana and get to Belterra (Park)" in Ohio, Greenhill said. "I don't know when those meets will start, have no idea, but I'll be in a position then hopefully to have horses that are ready to put in races."

The financial loss of no racing hits two-fold: as a trainer that trains for outside clients, and also as an owner invested in the horses he trains that race under the Greenhill Racing Stable banner. He and Sherri can own a quarter or more of these Greenhill Racing Stables partnership horses with clients.

Despite the loss in earning revenue, Greenhill hasn't seen corners cut on the backstretch.

"If you think a horse is getting one less oat, you just don't understand 'racetrackers'," he said. "God bless them. They're there to take care of the horses."