Belmont cancels weekend races

Weekend racing at Belmont Park has been canceled, wiping out Saturday and Sunday programs that featured five stakes, three of them Grade I events.

The New York Racing Association had originally planned to re-open Belmont Park on Saturday after canceling programs on Wednesday through Friday due to the hijacked airline attacks on the World Trade Center in Manhattan.

Racing is expected to resume at Belmont on Wednesday.

Saturday's card included the Grade I Ruffian and two Grade 2 stakes, the Belmont Park Breeders' Cup Handicap and the Jerome Handicap, while Sunday's program included two Grade 1 stakes, the Futurity and Matron.