Pleasanton cancels Friday card due to severe rain

Racing has been canceled at Pleasanton, Calif., on Friday because of a forecast of inclement weather, according to Tom Doutrich, the track’s racing secretary.

The track had scheduled a seven-race program. Racing is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday this weekend, Doutrich said.

Rain is expected in Pleasanton from Wednesday through Sunday, with a forecast of a third of an inch of rain on Wednesday, a fifth of an inch on Thursday and approximately 1.1 inches on Friday, according to accuweather.com.

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Rain is also forecast for Saturday and Sunday, but Doutrich was optimistic on Wednesday that racing could proceed on those days.

“We’re looking good for Saturday and Sunday,” he said.

Doutrich said Friday’s canceled races would be rescheduled this weekend.

Some areas north of Pleasanton had received significant rain in a 24-hour period ending at 9 a.m. on Wednesday as part of a major storm affecting the Pacific Northwest, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Significant rain is forecast in Northern California communities closer to the Oregon border in coming days.

Friday’s program is the first cancellation of the first Golden State Racing meeting at Pleasanton, which began on Oct. 19 and runs through Dec. 15. The season replaces dates previously run at Golden Gate Fields, which closed permanently in June.

Friday was scheduled to be the 15th day of the 26-day meeting.

Del Mar, located approximately 450 miles south of Pleasanton, is not expected to be affected by significant rain in coming days, a track official said on Wednesday. Del Mar is scheduled to run Friday through Sunday this weekend.

California tracks are strongly discouraged from racing in severe weather, following inclement weather policies enacted by the California Horse Racing Board in late 2020. Santa Anita, outside of Los Angeles, canceled six days of racing from early February to late March earlier this year, but did run some makeup days.

Golden Gate Fields canceled six days of racing from mid-April to late May earlier this year because of insufficient entries.

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