The New York State Racing and Wagering Board (SRWB) will allow horses running in the $1 million Travers Stakes on August 25 to remain in their regular stalls – a step back from the separate detention barn requirement at this year’s Belmont Stakes – while at the same time instituting “a series of enhanced security protocols” for the “Midsummer Derby,” according to an article from the New York Post.
Those new protocols include:
- Travers horses must be on the grounds by Wednesday, August 22.
- Horses will have out-of-competition blood tests done on August 22.
- Horses will be monitored in their stalls 24/7 by additional security personnel.
- Daily veterinarians’ records of medications and treatments given the horses from August 22 up to the race will be provided to the SRWB, which will post those records on its website daily.
Except for the blood tests, all of these new security measures’ costs will be covered by the New York Racing Association, the New York Post article says.