Cold snap prompts Aqueduct to cancel Thursday

Live racing at Aqueduct was canceled Thursday, the second straight cancellation due to cold weather. Both Aqueduct and Belmont were to be open for simulcasting.

The forecasted high for Thursday in Ozone Park, where Aqueduct is located, was 21 degrees with wind chills in the single digits. Wednesday had similar temperatures and wind gusts in the 30- to 40-mile-per-hour range.

The New York Racing Association was hopeful of resuming racing on Friday when temperatures were to return to the low 30s with a 60 percent chance of snow showers.

In announcing its decision to cancel the two days, NYRA noted it was doing so “out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our jockeys and our equine athletes.”

Through the first 19 days of racing since the inner track opened on Dec. 3, there have been 10 equine fatalities.