Tweet has since been deleted by Castellano\'s agent - John Panagot. Castellano was at OP the same day as Sean Payton, who subsequently tested positive for COVID-19. I cannot see GP/OP moving forward with racing.
Here\'s a link to the DRF story:
Castellano Tests Positive for Coronavirus (https://www.drf.com/news/castellano-positive-coronavirus-agent-says)
Hoping that Javie and his family will be OK.
Run the damn races Saturday. I mean I already printed the Form.
I would say a few weeks ago the entire Brooklyn Nets basketball team was tested
and four players of (I think) 15 were infected. I hope the Brooklyn Nets and
their families will be OK.
The point is that if 4 of 15 Nets were infected, it is likely that Javie is not
the only infected jock in the room. Remember that the better jocks travel
regularly by air. I hope that any other Gulf jockey, or anyone else down in
Hallandale who is infected, and your families will be OK.
Run the damn races Saturday. Run the damn races with as much social distancing
as possible. If you are not essential to bringing the horse from the barn to
the paddock you will not be able to enter the grounds. If you live on the
backstretch, stay there. Owners do not even need leave their homes. Unless your
horse ABSOLUTELY needs a pony to get to the gate, you don\'t get no freaking
pony. No tanned and toned exercise girls carrying blankets or spit buckets.
The win circle picture is strictly old school, horse, jock, groom.
The only place it gets really tight is when a trainer or someone designated by
said trainer islegging a jock up. If a horse may be \"squirrely\", the trainer
and jock can end up in close quarters. To quote the late Dan Jenkins \"So close
they could fart in the same Coke bottle.\" (Jenkins was referring to two
lifelong friends).
Run the damn races Saturday exercising as much social distancing as possible.
Run the damn races at Gulf at Santa at Oaklawn. Then shut them all down. Then
maybe get Cella and Stronach in a room and figure out a way that ONE track will
run until things get back to something near normal. As you all have probably
heard, the spring meet at Churchill is no longer a sure thing.
Would a track (I\'m thinking OP, because Arkansas is, well, socially distant
(and that\'s no poke at the Clintons)) which continued operations through all of
this be considered heroic? Would the continued operation be fodder for Racing\'s
many detractors?
I do not know. But run the damn races Saturday.
Would the continued operation be fodder for Racing\'s
many detractors?
Yes. And rightly so.
I note that Castellano has not ridden in Florida since March 15 and was coming from New York. I have not seen any reports that anyone on the backside in Florida has tested positive.
Regarding your one-track idea, I wonder if this could lead to a more permanent track consolidation. With casino subsidies absent for the present and likely to be under siege when casinos reopen, this crisis may expedite the day when racing has to rely primarily on handle to support itself.