New York sets air-quality guidelines for racing, training

ELMONT, N.Y. – In the wake of the smoke from Canadian wildfires that produced unhealthy air quality that prompted Belmont Park to cancel training and racing Thursday, New York state on Thursday announced guidelines that will dictate when tracks can allow training and racing during questionable air-quality situations.

If the air-quality index (AQI) exceeds 200 at a specific facility, no racing or training may be conducted at that track, according to a press release issued Thursday by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office. If the AQI is between 150 and 200, only horses that pass an additional pre-race respiratory examination will be permitted to race.

At noon Thursday, the AQI in Elmont was 151, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s website.

That same website predicts that the AQI on Friday will be 120, which is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, but which would be at the level that would permit training and racing.

"As New Yorkers continue to experience unhealthy air quality as a result of Canadian wildfires, we must all work to ensure that animals – including these peak-performance equine athletes – are protected," Hochul said in a press release. "The measures being implemented at tracks across New York state are effective steps to keep all those who participate in the sport safe now and into the future."

According to the press release from the state, Hochul encouraged New Yorkers to postpone any outdoor activities in impacted regions until conditions improve.

The release said that it was the New York State Gaming Commission who directed all tracks to stop racing, training, and workouts “until further notice.”

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In a statement released after the state’s release, NYRA spokesman Pat McKenna said, these AQI levels and subsequent protocols were “arrived at in consultation with the New York Racing Association and is grounded in our shared efforts to provide the safest possible environment for training and racing Thoroughbred horses throughout New York state. NYRA will continue to closely monitor air quality in and around Belmont Park in the coming days, and we remain optimistic that conditions will allow for the resumption of training and racing on Friday.”

NYRA has an 11-race card on Friday with five stakes and, of course, Saturday is the 13-race Belmont Stakes Day program with nine stakes including the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown.

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