Laurel Park cancels Sunday program due to track conditions following Friday snow

Laurel Park on Sunday canceled its racing card, the third consecutive program abandoned due to extreme weather conditions.

Roughly four inches of snow fell in the region beginning early Friday morning, and that afternoon’s program was terminated as was Saturday’s stakes-laden card.

Concerns that moisture from the Friday snowstorm would impact the racing surface forced Sunday’s cancellation, according to a release from the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association.

“The snow wanted to stick to the track Friday when we tried to get it off, and we know there is a lot of snow in the track,” Maryland Jockey Club Track Superintendent Ken Brown said Saturday afternoon. “It should be ok for training Sunday morning because of the temperature. With 33 degrees and sunshine, I believe it could well be sloppy at some point Sunday. Then it becomes unmanageable. We try to beat Mother Nature, and sometimes we lose.”

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Maryland Jockey Club Acting President Mike Rogers added that track management did not want to take the chance of starting Saturday’s card and then having to cancel.

“When the moisture comes up, the track can get extremely sloppy, and we don’t know how loose it could get,” Rogers said. “We are of the opinion that taking the risk is too great. We do everything with safety as a priority.”

Live racing is scheduled to resume Friday, Jan. 26, featuring two $100,000 stakes races originally carded for Saturday. The What a Summer for fillies and mares at six furlongs and the Fire Plug for 4-year-olds and upward at 6 1/2 furlongs will be the eighth and ninth races on the 10-race program.

Two $75,000 stakes races for Maryland-bred or -sired performers are also rescheduled for next weekend. The Maryland Jockey Club expects the Geisha for fillies and mares and the Jennings for 4-year-olds and upward to both be carded on Sunday, Jan. 28.

On Saturday, Laurel’s stakes series for 3-year-olds continues with the $100,000 Spectacular Bid at seven furlongs, and the $100,000 Xtra Heat for sophomore fillies at six furlongs.

Sweet Soddy J, upset winner of Laurel’s Heft Stakes on Dec. 30, is expected to contest the Spectacular Bid, per owner Lynn Cash of Built Wright Stables.

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