Churchill Downs done with turf racing for rest of meet

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Churchill Downs officials announced Thursday that no more turf racing will be conducted for the balance of a meet, which runs through Nov. 29, so the two graded races that remained on the stakes schedule will not be run. They are the Grade 3 Cardinal, which had been set for Thursday, and the Grade 3 River City on Friday.

Churchill has been experiencing major difficulty with the turf course, even with minimal rain in the local area this month. Officials had hoped to conduct at least some turf races during the final week of the meet, but the root system for the course remains in poor shape, leading to this latest decision. The last turf race was held Nov. 12.

A statement from track publicity read in part: “Out of an abundance of caution, there will be no turf racing at Churchill Downs through the remainder of the meet because the course has not satisfactorily responded to this fall’s climate. Grass racing will resume next spring when the conditions become more optimum.”