Weather can make or break fall meet

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – For the last six months, the New York Racing Association has enjoyed a spike in business at Belmont Park and Saratoga due to a combination of factors, including appearances by American Pharoah and the kindness of Mother Nature.

American Pharoah, the Triple Crown winner, retired over the weekend and arrived at his new home, Ashford Stud in Lexington, Ky., on Monday.

Starting Wednesday, Aqueduct is NYRA’s home for racing for the next six months, and officials are hoping Mother Nature doesn’t retire her racing-friendly weather.

Aqueduct opens its fall meet Wednesday, with first post at 12:20 p.m. Eastern on most days. There are 21 cards of racing scheduled for November – including a rare Monday card Nov. 9 – during which racing will be conducted on the main track. Racing is slated to move to the inner track Dec. 2, though Martin Panza, senior vice president of racing operations, didn’t discount remaining on the main track in early December if the weather is amenable. In 2013, the inner track didn’t open until Dec. 11.

With the exception of a 50 percent chance of rain Thursday, weather for the first week at Aqueduct looks dry and seasonal. Panza is hoping that continues so he can use Aqueduct’s turf course, for which he has three races carded on each of the first three days of the meet. There were only 42 turf races run last fall, compared with 55 in the fall of 2012 and 50 in the fall of 2013.

“A lot depends on the weather,” Panza said. “We haven’t used the turf course that much the last few years at Aqueduct. Hopefully, we can use it this fall. The last two winters have been pretty rough. Hopefully, we get a little break with that and keep some momentum going.”

NYRA will race five days a week in November and December but plans to implement a four-day race week in January, February, and March. NYRA is awaiting approval from the New York State Gaming Commission on that schedule.

Wednesday’s opening-day card features two of the 11 graded stakes scheduled for the fall meet – the Grade 2 Nashua and Grade 3 Tempted for 2-year-olds and 2-year-old fillies, respectively. The highlight of the fall meet comes Saturday, Nov. 28, with the Grade 1 Cigar Mile, Grade 2 Remsen, Grade 2 Demoiselle, and Grade 3 Comely.