SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Concerns over the condition of the turf course from last weekend followed by wet weather early this week could put turf racing in jeopardy for the first part of the upcoming race week at Saratoga. Late Monday afternoon – after steady rains that morning – the New York Racing Association announced that the steeplechase event scheduled for Wednesday has been canceled and will be brought back for Aug. 16. Further, the Grade 1 Jonathan Sheppard Steeplechase, scheduled for Aug. 16, has been pushed back to Aug. 23, replacing the Michael Walsh Novice Stakes on that day. There are four turf flat races scheduled for Wednesday and five more turf races - all on the flat - scheduled for Thursday. There was significant rain Monday morning during the second half of training hours and more rain was forecast Monday night and Tuesday. NYRA has two important turf stakes scheduled this week, the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes, postponed from last Friday to this Friday, and Saturday’s Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap. On Sunday, the New York Racing Association made a late decision to move the final three scheduled turf races to the dirt. The timing of the decision, within two minutes of when the late pick five wager was to start, angered bettors who were not given time to cancel or alter tickets. Turf racing made up three legs of both the late pick five and pick six, and bettors were given an all-win for those legs. The pick five returned $25 for a 50-cent bet, while the pick six returned $431.50 for $1 bet. The decision to move the races from the turf was prompted by the fatal breakdown of Ever Summer at the quarter pole of Sunday’s fourth race, run over the inner turf. Another horse, Frivole, was eased early in that race, but was deemed to be okay by her trainer, Graham Motion. :: Visit the Saratoga Handicapping Store for Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Picks, Betting Strategies, and more. Management solicited the opinion of several riders following Sunday’s fifth race, and though there was not a consensus among the jockeys about the condition of the turf, management made the decision to halt turf racing for the day. “NYRA, sensing that there was concern, decided to remove those races, and we’ll be evaluating the condition of the turf courses,” said Pat McKenna, NYRA’s vice president for communications. Jockey Javier Castellano, who rode the first turf race on Sunday, felt the turf course “seemed too chewed up. It’s not even at the top of the stretch, horses seem to bobble a lot.” There have been three racing fatalities on turf from 631 starters at this meet. Last Thursday, Sopran Basilea suffered a fatal injury galloping out following a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Glens Falls over the inner turf. Earlier in the meet, Blame It On Mary suffered fatal injuries sprinting on the outer turf. :: DRF's 2023 Saratoga headquarters: Previews, past performances, picks, recaps, news, and more. Since July 26, the rails on both turf courses have been out 18 feet. According to the overnight, beginning Wednesday, the rails on the Mellon Turf course will be out 17 feet. The rails will be down on the inner turf. So far this meet, there have been 72 races run on turf, 26 transferred to the main track. There were only 17 races transferred from the turf to dirt during all of the 2022 meet. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.