Fair Grounds cancels Thursday card due to heavy rain

Fair Grounds canceled its Thursday race card after heavy rain hit the track early in the afternoon. Horses were in the paddock for race 1 when rain intensified and after an initial delay, pushing the first post from 1 p.m. to 1:30, racing was called off.

More than two hours later, hard rain still was falling in the area. Turf racing Friday is all but certain to be abandoned, and Saturday's stakes races, if they remain on turf, are likely to be run over a course with give in the ground.