Monmouth shortens, delays Haskell card due to heat

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Due to the ongoing heat wave, and in consultation with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and track president Dennis Drazin, Monmouth Park decided following the second race Saturday to cut short the track’s Haskell Invitational card and to run an abbreviated program later in the evening.

The six scheduled stakes will be run beginning at 6 p.m. All of the non-stakes races -- races 3, 4, 6, 7, 13, and 14 -- have been canceled.

The decision to shorten the program and move post time back was made after races 1 and 2 had been run.

At the front gate to the track, there were about 75 protesters who believed it was not safe to race Saturday because of the heat and humidity. At noon, the temperature at Monmouth was 93 degrees, with 56 percent humidity. That translates to a 108 heat index. There was a breeze at the track, however, and conditions did seem suitable for racing.

All of the Northeast tracks scheduled to race during the day Saturday – Laurel Park, Parx Racing, Delaware Park, Saratoga, and Finger Lakes – canceled their cards except Monmouth, which was set to hold the premier day of its racing season.

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“The governor entrusted the decision to me,” Drazin said. “The governor is not an expert on these issues. He has a commission to regulate the industry.

“I made the call to be conservative. God forbid a horse broke down for another reason than heat. It could have started a national crisis for horseracing.”

The Haskell Invitational, which had been scheduled to be broadcast on NBC from 5-6 p.m., now has a post time of 8:05 p.m. NBC will fill the 5-6 p.m. slot with racing related content and then stream the Haskell live on its digital platforms.

The Grade 3 Oceanport will be run at 6 p.m. The following races – the Molly Pitcher, Wolf Hill Stakes, Monmouth Cup, Matchmaker, and Haskell -- will then be run at 25-minute intervals.

A pick five will be offered beginning with the Molly Pitcher.

Drazin did not believe the weather was too hot to race and made the decision to hold an evening card as a compromise of sorts.

“I made the call to be conservative,” Drazin said. “I don’t think we should have canceled.

“By delaying the races, the temperature will go down and the heat index will be lower. I recognize and apologize to everybody and realize we have customers who are not going to be happy.”

The first race at Monmouth was delayed until 12:38 p.m., 38 minutes later than scheduled. The horses in race 1 were saddled, walked the ring, and then were returned to the saddling stalls while a decision whether to race was made. Ultimately, it was decided to hold two races and then reevaluate the situation.

Todd Pletcher, who was in the paddock prior to race 1, said he was comfortable racing his horses under the weather conditions at Monmouth on Saturday. Pletcher’s runners include King for a Day in the $1 million Haskell and Coal Front in the $200,000 Monmouth Cup.

The Monmouth jockeys also were willing to ride.

The $1 pick three that began in race 1 paid $46.50 to tickets having Buff’s in Love ($30.80) in race 1, Guns of Steel ($4.80) in race 2, and all horses in race 3. The $1 pick three that began in race 2 paid $2.20 to tickets that began with Guns of Steel and had all horses in races 3 and 4.

The 50-cent pick five that began on race 1 will pay out to tickets with Buff’s in Love, Guns of Steel, all, all, and the winner of the Oceanport later on the card. The pick four that began on race 2 began with Gund of Steel.