Mahoning Valley Racecourse cancels racing until Nov. 23 after COVID-19 positive

Mahoning Valley Racecourse in Youngstown, Ohio, will go on hiatus until Nov. 23 after a track employee tested positive for COVID-19, the track announced Tuesday.

Mahoning said in an announcement that it was ceasing operations “out of an abundance of caution” after a “racetrack operations employee” tested positive. The track said that simulcast operations and the adjacent casino will remain open during the live-racing hiatus.

Mahoning Valley was operating on a four-day per week live racing schedule, running Monday through Wednesday and on Saturdays. Its next live racing day is Nov. 23.

Mahoning Valley is the second track in the United States owned by the gambling conglomerate Penn National Gaming Inc. to recently announce a suspension of live racing. Last week, Charles Town Races in West Virginia was closed for two weeks after a jockey and an employee of the jockeys’ room both tested positive for COVID-19, which is surging once again in many areas of the United States.