Cold cuts short Big A card

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Friday's card at Aqueduct was canceled after four races because of the extreme cold.

With the temperature hovering at 16 degrees and a wind chill of zero, the jockeys decided not to ride the five remaining races.

Jockey Mike Luzzi said, "It's not that it's dangerous [to ride]; it's just not possible. Shaun [Bridgmohan] has welts on his face from the dirt hitting him."

Richard Migliore, the meet's leading rider, said he couldn't feel his fingers because of the cold.

The forecast for Saturday was for continued frigid temperatures with increased winds. The status of Saturday's card was scheduled to be determined at a meeting between the jockeys and track stewards.

Friday's card featured a pick six carryover of nearly $98,000. The law requires that four races must be run in the pick six for the money in the carryover to be distributed. Racing was canceled after one race in the pick six sequence, so the carryover is rolled over to the next racing day. The money wagered in Friday's pick six pool was paid out based on one actual winner, American Comedy. Each of the 42,374 winning tickets returned $7. The takeout on the winning tickets was 20 percent, rather than the customary 25 percent when a carryover is in effect.