Aqueduct cancels Saturday and Sunday cards due to freezing forecast

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – With more arctic-like temperatures in the forecast, the Saturday and Sunday cards scheduled at Aqueduct have been canceled, the New York Racing Association announced Thursday.

The temperatures for both days will be in the teens, with single-digit wind chill values. On Saturday, winds were forecast between 20 and 30 miles per hour, with gusts up to 40 miles per hour.

The two $135,000 New York-bred stakes for 3-year-olds scheduled for Saturday – the Damon Runyon for males and the East View for females – will be brought back on Feb. 14. Entries for that card will be taken Sunday.

These are the seventh and eighth full-card cancellations of what has been a brutal winter in the Northeast. There was also a partial cancellation of the Jan. 17 card after four races.

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NYRA is working with the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and New York breeders to apply to the New York State Gaming Commission for additional days. NYRA has already received permission to conduct racing on Feb. 11, 19, 26, and March 5, days that were previously scheduled to be dark.

Aqueduct will be open for simulcasting on both Saturday and Sunday.

There is an 11-race card scheduled for Friday beginning at 11:45 a.m. The card includes five stakes, topped by the $200,000 Withers, a points-scoring race toward the Kentucky Derby.

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