Freezing temperatures forces Oaklawn to cancel Sunday card

Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., has canceled Sunday’s card due to a forecast calling for freezing temperatures, the track announced during the races Saturday. There is a winter storm watch in effect for the county, starting at 12 p.m. Central on Sunday and continuing through 6 p.m. on Monday, according to AccuWeather.

Earlier on Saturday, neighboring Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La., announced Tuesday’s races would be canceled due to a pending forecast of freezing temperatures. The track is conducting a meet for Quarter Horses. Louisiana Downs, which also stables Thoroughbreds, announced there would be no training on Monday or Tuesday.

Oaklawn did not train on Saturday due to freezing temperatures in the morning hours, but was able to race as scheduled as temperatures rose into the 40s. The track was rated as “good” for the first part of the card and upgraded to fast by the fifth race on a sunny afternoon.

But the weather is expected to take a sharp turn overnight Saturday, with temperatures dropping to 15 degrees, according to AccuWeather. The high for Sunday is 26 degrees and in the evening hours snow is expected to move into the area, with as much as three to six inches due through Monday.

The next scheduled race date for Oaklawn is Friday.

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