Fog forces Aqueduct to cancel Saturday's final four races

OZONE PARK, N.Y - The final four races of Saturday’s Aqueduct card were canceled due to fog, which caused visibility issues for the stewards.

Braulio Baeza Jr., the steward for the New York State Gaming Commission, said he sent cameramen out to the track with handheld cameras, but it didn’t alleviate the issues. The first five races were in the fog - with only the final sixteenth of a mile visible - but conditions were worsening.

“We couldn’t see,” Baeza said.

Saturday’s card was the final one at Aqueduct for calendar year 2022, meaning that it was a mandatory payout for all the multi-race wagers including the pick-6, which began the day with a $22,612 carryover. The $170,629 wagered Saturday into the pick-6 pool was refunded and the carryover will be in place for Sunday. The pick-6 Sunday will be a mandatory payout.

The $273,881 wagered in Saturday’s late pick-5 was also refunded. Since three legs of the middle pick-4 were run, the last leg - race 6 - was declared an all-win.

Among the final four races lost on Saturday’s card was the $150,000 Queens County Stakes, which will be rescheduled for Jan. 7. The race will be redrawn on Wednesday.

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