Wet weather again takes races off turf at Laurel

The weather woes at the Laurel Park fall meet continued this week as races were taken off the turf Friday and Saturday, the Thursday grass races were held on yielding ground, and Sunday's turf races were switched to the main track after the horses in race 1 took 1:44.93 to cover a mile over a soft course.

Through the first 16 cards of the Laurel meet, turf races have been entirely switched to dirt on 11 cards and partially taken off on another two, including Sunday.

The Laurel turf course consists of six different racing lanes and the track cards a high percentage of its races on grass. When races are moved to the main track, it typically results in a high number of scratches. Sal Sinatra, president of the Maryland Jockey Club, admitted Sunday the track's handle has taken a significant hit.

Laurel is located on low-lying land with a high water table that is basically the same level as the infield lake.

Early Sunday, races 5, 7, and 10 were taken off the turf, but track management had hoped to keep races 1, 2, 4, and 8 on the grass.

"Our racing secretary was at the scales after race 1," Sinatra said. "The riders basically all said 'no good' as they left the track, and we agreed. Everybody's anxious to get back on the grass but the turns are still too soft."

Sinatra said the turf course's drainage system is working properly.

"You can watch the drainage tubes emptying into the lake," he said. "It just continues to be cool and humid here, with heavy dew at night. Maryland for the year is 18 inches above its usual average rainfall. The ground is saturated and there just isn't any place for the water to go.

The forecast calls for dry weather Monday and Wednesday and the chance of a shower on Tuesday. On Thursday, when Laurel races next, there is a 75 percent chance of heavy rain and a thunderstorm.