Aqueduct cancels Saturday card in advance of nor'easter
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Aqueduct’s nine-race Saturday card was canceled due to a nor’easter that was expected to bring significant snow, strong winds, and low wind-chill values to the New York metropolitan area throughout the day.
A decision on whether Aqueduct will be open for simulcasting will be made Saturday morning.
Training at Belmont Park was canceled for Saturday. The racing office will not take entries for Saturday for Thursday as per the regular schedule. Instead, double entries will be taken Sunday for the Thursday and Friday cards.
A winter storm warning is in effect from 7 p.m. Friday to 7 p.m. Saturday with heavy snow expected, approximately 8 to 12 inches in the New York City area with likely more east of the city on Long Island. Winds could gust as high as 45 miles per hour and near blizzard conditions are possible for a period on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
This marks the fourth cancellation of the winter meet.
Saturday’s card was scheduled to include the first graded race of the year on this circuit, the Grade 3, $150,000 Toboggan Stakes. That race has been rescheduled for Feb. 5.
Racing is scheduled to continue on Sunday with a nine-race card that is to include the $100,000 Jimmy Winkfield Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters.