Meadowlands Racetrack on Wednesday (Jan. 27) received approval from the New Jersey Racing Commission (NJRC) to amend the current operational plan in place for racing while dealing with the pandemic.

Starting this weekend, horse assignments for both New Jersey and out of state horses will occur in the paddock. Stalls will continue to be assigned by trainer for both groups to minimize the number of caretakers necessary. Any overflow for any race night will still be placed in the receiving barns. Out of state horses will be placed in a predetermined area of the paddock separate from the NJ horses.

This permission was granted by the NJRC on a 30-day trial basis. Meadowlands Racetrack cannot emphasize enough that all horsemen must abide by the current protocols in place of having masks over the bridge of your nose, social distancing always, and washing hands frequently. At anytime if the NJRC sees any negative effect on racing they will require us to go back to our original plan.

All horsemen and personnel entering the backstretch will still be required to have their temperature taken, submit the current COVID-19 questionnaire, and adhere to the policy in place of no food or beverage in the paddock.

(The Meadowlands)