Los Alamitos cancels remainder of daytime program due to heat

CYPRESS, Calif. – Los Alamitos canceled the final six races on Friday’s program after jockeys told track officials that excessive heat was causing difficulties for horses.

Darrell Haire, the western regional manager of the Jockey’s Guild, said he spoke with riders after the second race and that he was told the heat had intensified between the first two races. At 2:30 p.m., the temperature was approximately 107 degrees, according to accuweather.com.

“They told me a couple of horses were struggling when they were coming back,” Haire said.

“There is no air. It’s scorching and it’s getting hotter. There wasn’t one rider who felt it was safe to be out there.”

A group of jockeys met with track officials after the second race when the decision was made.

“My rule is if they tell me it’s unsafe, I don’t want to them to ride,” track president Jack Liebau said.

Liebau expressed frustration in the jockeys’ decision, stating that conditions are often warm for racing at Cal-Expo in Sacramento for it summer meeting and were warm at the Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona when that track operated each September until 2013.

Los Alamitos is scheduled to have night races for Quarter Horses and lower-level Thoroughbreds, beginning at 7:15 p.m. Pacific. Daytime racing is scheduled to resume on Saturday at 1 p.m. when conditions are expected to be near 100 again, according to accuweather.com.

The high temperature on Sunday is expected to be in the low 90s.

The races that were canceled on Friday may be offered again next week. The track runs the final four days of its summer meeting from July 12-15.

Because of the cancellation after Friday’s second race, refunds were made in the 50-cent pick five that began in the first race and the $1 early pick four and $1 pick three that began in the second race.

The $2 double that began in the second race paid $6.20. The winning combination was 2-ALL after Bobbie Lincoln ($6) won the second race.

The $1 pick three that began in the first race paid $4.30 to the combination of 4-2-ALL.