Aqueduct cancels Thursday card as thaw makes track soggy

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - After having to cancel six consecutive cards at Aqueduct due to the extreme cold, the New York Racing Association had to cancel Thursday’s card in part because it was too warm.

Temperatures that soared into the low 50s Thursday caused parts of Aqueduct’s main track to become too wet, while others were considered fast. The uneven nature of the surface is why the card was canceled.

Aqueduct has not raced since Dec. 30, when racing was canceled following the fourth race after the jockeys complained about uneven spots on the main track.

Since then, racing was canceled due to extreme cold temperatures followed by a snowstorm on Jan. 4 followed by more extreme cold through the weekend.

On Thursday, Glen Kozak, NYRA vice president facilities/racing surfaces, said the worst part of the track is the far turn where snow that had drifted over a six-foot-high chainlink fence got onto the track and basically melted.

Kozak said the far turn “is sloppy, the inside part of the backstretch is good, the front side is fast, the clubhouse turn is fast and the chute is fast. It’s like two different tracks out here,” Kozak said by phone as he walked the track.

It was the seventh straight card canceled at Aqueduct due to weather issues. Now, heavy rain is in the forecast for0 Friday, when racing is scheduled to resume at 12:20 p.m.

The $100,000 Bay Ridge Stakes, part of Thursday’s card, is now scheduled for Jan. 18.