On March 16, Tonya Abeln, a spokeswoman for Churchill Downs, announced in an email that the Kentucky Derby would not take place as scheduled. The race, a shining jewel in the crown of the state, has now been postponed until September. This will be the first time since World War II that the Derby has not taken place in May. In 1945, the Derby was postponed and took place in June.
The Derby, however, is not the only notable horse racing event that has been postponed. The Preakness Stakes in Baltimore also announced on March 16 that it is postponing the event due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Preakness usually stands as the second leg of the Triple Crown. It has now been moved to an undetermined date in September.
The third leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, has also chosen to postpone its race. The New York Racing Association has yet to decide when the 2020 Belmont Stakes will start, but the organization is abiding by the New York state rules to cancel or postpone any gathering events to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
With the unprecedented cancellations of the three largest horse racing competitions in the country, not only will this year’s horses and jockeys be affected, but these postponements may have lasting effects on the industry as a whole. Almost all horses that race in the Triple Crown races are three-year-old thoroughbred horses. Moving these competitions not only throws off the training of the horses and jockeys, but it will also allow for slightly younger or older horses to compete.
While many different businesses and corporations are being forced to close, the farms in which the Triple Crown horses are bred and raised still have to carry on, trying to adequately prepare despite all of the uncertainty.