Last three races at Aqueduct canceled due to strong winds

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The final three races of Aqueduct’s Thursday card were canceled when the jockeys refused to ride, citing danger from high winds.

According to jockey Junior Alvarado, who won three of the first five races on the eight-race card, the winds were making it nearly impossible for the riders to control their horses.

According to weather.com, the winds were out of the northwest at 23 mph, with stronger gusts.

Alvarado said the wind was particularly bad during the fifth race, which he won aboard Science Fiction ($4.80). The horse raced several paths off the rail, but that was not by design, Alvarado said.

“I won the race, and I had zero control of my horse the whole way around,” Alvarado said. “If I would have had a horse on the outside, it would put me in a very bad spot.”

Alvarado said the wind for the first few races was manageable, “but the last race, it got to a dangerous point.”

There were carryovers in the pick six and the NYRA Bets (or late) pick five on Thursday’s card. New money wagered into those pools on Thursday – $172,336 in the pick six and $120,768 in the pick five – were refunded.

The pick-six carryover of $26,214 and the late pick-five carryover of $32,495 will be available on Friday’s card.

Refunds were also issued in the Grand Slam and the late pick-four wagers.

There were consolation payoffs in the pick three that began in race 4 ($19.20 to tickets that had 3-4-All) and the pick three that began in race 5 ($2.35 to 4-All-All). The daily double that began on race 5 returned $2.50 if you had the winner of the fifth, Science Fiction with anybody in race 6.

Racing is scheduled to resume Friday with an eight-race card that begins at 12:50 p.m. Eastern.