Heat leads to wave of racing cancellations
A heat wave that is expected to lead to near-record temperatures beginning Friday in parts of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic has driven racetracks in the region to cancel or reschedule their upcoming live race cards.
Colonial Downs in Virginia announced on Thursday that it would move its Friday live race card to this upcoming Wednesday, with a first post of 1:30 p.m. Eastern. On the day of the announcement, Colonial ran its Thursday card as planned. Shortly thereafter, Colonial canceled its Saturday card as well, with plans to schedule the lost card on “an additional race date to be announced” in the future.
In western Kentucky, Ellis Park said on Thursday that it will shift its Friday and Saturday cards to Monday and Tuesday, citing a forecasted heat index of 106 degrees on both days. The track still plans to run its nine-race Sunday card as drawn. First post for the Sunday through Tuesday cards will be 11:45 a.m. Eastern each day.
In addition, Woodbine in Canada canceled its Thursday card and was in the process of determining whether the track would run on Friday. The track said that the eight races scheduled for Thursday would either be run on Sunday as drawn or added “across the next few racing cards.”
In Maryland, Laurel canceled its nine-race Friday program but said it was planning on running its Saturday card, which features five stakes race, including the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash. The Friday card has been rescheduled for Aug. 3, a Wednesday, the track said.
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