Aqueduct cancels live racing on Wednesday due to cold temps

Live racing at Aqueduct Wednesday was canceled due to the cold. It is the first cancellation of the winter meet.

Both Aqueduct and Belmont were to be open for simulcasting.

After about an inch of snow fell here Tuesday, temperatures took a nosedive Wednesday into the low 20s. With winds forecast to be 20 to 30 mph and occasional gusts over 40 mph, wind chills were expected in the single digits.

A wind-chill advisory was to be in effect from 7 p.m. Eastern Wednesday to 8 a.m. Thursday, with wind chills expected to be well below zero.
Temperatures were only forecast to be in the mid-20s on Thursday, but with diminishing winds. A decision on Thursday’s card won’t be made until Thursday morning, according to New York Racing Association officials.

In announcing its decision to cancel Wednesday, NYRA noted it was doing so “out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our jockeys and our equine athletes.”

Through the first 19 days of racing since the inner track opened on Dec. 3, there have been 10 equine fatalities.