Laurel Park, Penn National, Charles Town cancel Wednesday programs

In the aftermath of Tuesday’s snowstorm in the Mid-Atlantic region, as temperatures plunged near zero with the wind chill factor, Laurel Park, Penn National, and Charles Town canceled their Wednesday live racing programs.

“It is better to wait and clear the track after it stopped snowing,” said Georganne Hale, director of racing for the Maryland Jockey Club “It is brutally cold out there, which could have been an issue with the jocks. It is not bearable out there today for horse or rider but we should be good to go tomorrow when the temperatures rise a bit.”

Live racing is scheduled to resume Thursday at Laurel and Penn National, but Charles Town has already called off its Thursday night program because of the extreme cold. Charles Town hope to resume racing Friday night.