Fair Hill cancels Sunday program due to rain

Fair Hill has canceled the first day of the Fair Hill Turf Showcase on Sunday due to “heavy, sustained precipitation.” The two-day event was slated to feature flat racing on Sunday and primarily steeplechases on Monday. Racing is expected to resume on the second day.

Earlier this week, several trainers speculated that the eight-race Sunday card on the turf course was going to be in jeopardy. The rain came as expected, spoiling the first part of the highly anticipated event, the second at Fair Hill since the track returned from a six-year hiatus last August.

Racing officials conducted an inspection of the turf course Saturday morning before deciding to cancel racing on Sunday, citing an “abundance of caution” concerning horse and jockey safety. Tickets purchased for Sunday will be refunded.

The weather around Fair Hill won’t improve ahead of the nine-race steeplechase card on Monday, but the conditions are expected to be more suitable for the slower discipline. All eight races on Sunday were to be run between 6 1/2 furlongs and 1 3/16 miles, demanding greater speed and increasing the risk for injury. The Monday card does not feature a race shorter than two miles.

“The forecasted rain over the next few days in Fair Hill, Maryland, is likely to leave the turf course labeled 'good to soft' for steeplechase racing,” said Bill Gallo, the Director of Racing for the National Steeplechase Association, in a press release. “Those conditions are, in fact, ideal for steeplechase races. In general, softer turf creates a safer environment for our horses, with a statistically lower risk of injury. The pace of our races is considerably slower than in flat racing.”

The Monday card will feature seven races over hurdles, one race over timber, and a two-mile flat race restricted to runners who have started over jumps.

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