Racing News
Teletheatre Open
Georgian Downs is excited to announce that our Teletheatre re-opened on Sunday August 1, 2021. Proof of Vaccination and Government issued ID will be required upon entry to the main building.
Our onsite Teletheatre
Operating hours
are:
Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays 12:00(noon) – 10:00PM (teller service available), Mondays & Tuesdays 12:00(noon) – 10:00PM (self-service wagering only), Wednesdays and Thursdays 12:00(noon) – 10:00PM, teller service 5:00PM – 10:00PM. The simulcast area has a maximum capacity of 20 customers on a first-come-first-serve basis. Customers entering the simulcast area must provide contact information, wear an appropriate face covering at all times and practice physical distancing.
Please review our frequently asked questions regarding vaccinations and amenities updates by clicking HERE.
Legend
- SC - Standardbred Canada site (link will open in new window)
- YT - YouTube site (link will open in a new window)
Ontario Racing Enhanced Racing Covid Protocols (as of July 12, 2021)
Georgian
Downs conducts live racing under strict COVID-19 racing
protocols. These base protocols have been developed in collaboration with
our horse people associations,
public health
officials,
Ontario
Racing
and
our
various
governing
bodies. All personnel, including Owners,
Trainers, Drivers and Grooms, attending Georgian Downs Racetrack are
required to ask themselves the following questions prior to entering the
property and confirm this action via EITHER ONE of these two forms:
1. QR code within this PDF document:
GD Racing Protocols
2. Online questionnaire:
https://questionnaire.simplesurvey.com/f/s.aspx?s=544a5b8a-1ac2-46dd-b4cc-8d2dd27e3bbe
Note: The Government of Ontario has identified the following as COVID-19 related symptoms: fever or chills, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, coughing, sore throat, trouble swallowing, runny/stuffy nose or nasal congestion, decrease or loss of smell or taste, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, not feeling well, extreme tiredness, and/or sore muscles.
2. Have you been instructed by local health authorities to self-isolate/quarantine due to travel, contact history or are part of a household of increased risk for COVID-19?
(i.e. you live with someone who is currently experiencing new COVID-19 symptoms, travelled with increased risk and/or is waiting for test results after experiencing symptoms). If the below exemption applies to you, please answer “No” to this question.
*Exemption: If you are fully vaccinated (it has been 14 or more days since your final dose of either a two-dose or a one-dose vaccine series), the self-isolate/quarantine requirements in question 2 may not apply. Please consult your local health authority website or use the provincial workplace screening tool: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/screening/worker/ to be sure what exemptions apply to your specific scenario or contact 1-866-797-0000 if you have questions on your specific circumstances.
As per the signage in place, if you answer “YES” to ANY of the questions above - do NOT enter the building. You must return home immediately (avoiding public transit). You are to contact your provincial health authority at 1-866-797-0000 for further guidance and requirements, and notify your manager or supervisor immediately.
If you answer “NO” to ALL of the above questions, perform hand hygiene and follow the requirements outlined in the Site-Specific COVID-19 Prevention and Control Plan for building entry.
Access to the Paddock:
• Only essential personnel for the conduct of training, qualifiers or live
racing will be granted access into the backstretch perimeter as determined
by posted security personnel.
• There will be the only one point of
entry for all racetrack Staff, Regulatory Officials and Racing
Participants.
• Only Trainers with an entry will be permitted, unless
entering a claim that night. Each entry shall have a maximum of one
handler.
• No one under the age of 16 shall be permitted in the
paddock.
Post times to be communicated from Race Office. Races will
be spaced at a minimum of 25-minute intervals. All horses must report to
the Paddock as prescribed by the rules of racing as published by the AGCO.
Access will only be granted after a mandatory pre-screening that will
include:
• Presentation of applicable AGCO credentials.
•
Evidence of a temperature below 100.5 degrees determined by a No Touch
Forehead Thermometer.
• Evidence of possession of a personal protective
face mask.
• Evidence of possession of a functioning mobile phone
device.
• Satisfactory completion of a Covid questionnaire/active
screening.
• Providing participants name, e-mail/phone contact.
While in the Paddock:
Racing participants are instructed to get in and get out quickly and
efficiently. Horses shall be placed in the paddock to ensure physical
distancing is being practiced and all available paddock space will be
utilized as well as adjacent stall areas. Masks are mandatory at all
times, medical masks recommended for Racing Participants. It is strongly
recommended Racing Participants also wear gloves when coming into contact
with frequently touched areas such as water taps, cross ties and door
latches.
• Given the warmer weather, racetracks should keep
entrance doors and windows open for ventilation purposes.
• Handlers of
all horses must ensure they are keeping the appropriate distance from
other handlers of horses in their respective areas.
• All horses and
associated handlers must leave the paddock half an hour following their
race, unless the handler is tending to horses in a later race. Horses who
have been post-race tested may leave the paddock 45 minutes following
their race.
• The drivers locker room, lounge and showers shall remain
closed. Drivers are to wear face masks, gloves and social distance at all
times, except when racing. Upon the completion of the driver’s last race
of the day, he/she should leave the paddock immediately after notifying
the Paddock Judge.
• All Communications should be carried out
electronically where possible to limit in person contact. There shall be
no loitering in or around the entrance to the paddock, all COVID-19
protocols on physical distancing shall be adhered to.
• The AGCO
judge’s office in the backstretch will be closed. Contact with the AGCO
Judges during a live event will only be through individual mobile phones.
• Shared communication devices are prohibited. In person communication
with racing participants will be at the discretion of the designated AGCO
judge.
• Paddock kitchens will not be available.
• The Paddock shall
be disinfected after each racing, qualifying & training day. Sanitizing
stations will be placed throughout the Paddock.
Lasix and CPMA Test Barn Procedures:
• There shall be no loitering in or at the entrance to the test area.
•
For pre-race Lasix all handlers must either be outside in an open area
practicing physical distancing or waiting in their vehicle until it is
time for their horse to report to the Paddock to race.
• Following each
race, 2 horses shall be tested. Blood shall be drawn on all test horses
after 40 minutes if the horse is unable to provide a urine sample. Track
security personnel shall be stationed outside of the test area to ensure
all horses and their handlers are entering and exiting the test area in an
appropriate fashion.
• Security will also supply anyone entering the
test barn a new mask.
• Physical distancing to be practiced at all
times. When entering the test barn with a horse, attend the opposite side
of the horse away from the technician or follow other local protocols in
place.
• Remain vigilant and respectful of the Racing Forensic
Technicians at all times.
• Hands sanitized on the way in and way out
of the test area.
Track
Maintenance/Starting Gate Vehicles:
• All maintenance vehicle cabins are to be disinfected at the start and
end of each use.
• No vehicle will accommodate more than one operator
and no employee will crossover any assigned vehicle for that event.
•
The starting gate vehicle shall be sanitized and cleaned daily.
• Where
there is a passenger either in the back seat or passenger seat of the
starting gate, a plexi-glass partition shall be installed to maintain
proper segregation from the starting gate driver.
• All track vehicle
operators will wear medical masks at all times.
• Access to the track
maintenance area is strictly prohibited to anyone other than the track
maintenance personnel.
Positive
Covid Test:
In the event that the
racetrack becomes aware that a person who has tested positive for COVID
has attended the track, the track in consultation with Public Health will
notify all employees and participants who may have been exposed to the
affected individual. The track will ensure that the infected person does
not re-enter the premises until the person is able to provide evidence of
a negative test and clearance from a doctor to return to work. All
individuals with potential contact with an infected individual will need
to provide evidence of a negative test.
·Download a PDF version of these protocols: GD Racing Protocols