Fair Grounds cancels Friday dues to 'excessive rain'
Fair Grounds canceled its Friday race card shortly before scheduled first post at 1:15 p.m. Central.
A news release from the Churchill Downs Inc.-owned property didn’t explicitly state the reason for the cancellation, saying the decision to scrap the eight-race program came “following excessive rain overnight and throughout the morning.”
The release described the cancellation as a “joint decision” after a “consultation between track management and the stewards.”
The New Orleans track is grinding through a meet that began Nov. 18 without use of a damaged turf course. Fair Grounds ran its first two grass races of the season on Dec. 26 and the two Dec. 31 stakes scheduled for turf are all but certain to be moved to the main track after the heavy rain.
First post for Saturday’s 10-race program is 1:15.