Due to the excessive heat and humidity blanketing much of the eastern United States, live racing was canceled Friday at Monmouth Park in New Jersey, Penn National Race Course in central Pennsylvania, and at Thistledown near Cleveland.

Monmouth’s 12-race program was shifted to Monday, beginning at 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

Live racing at Penn National is scheduled to resume, if conditions improve, at 6 p.m. Saturday. Thistledown has a 1:50 p.m. Eastern first post Saturday.

In addition, Delaware Park and Parx Racing have called off their Saturday cards.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Shackleford is scheduled to have his final workout Sunday at Churchill Downs in preparation for the Haskell Invitational before being vanned Tuesday to Monmouth Park, trainer Dale Romans said Thursday from his summer base at Saratoga.

Shackleford, the 2011 Preakness winner, will be turning back to 1 1/8 miles in his first race since the Triple Crown series when he runs July 31 in the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell at Monmouth in Oceanport, N.J.

A committee of the Association of Racing Commissioners International has approved a recommendation that would add three types of drugs to the highest class of prohibited medications, including an over-the-counter synthetic stimulant that has been reportedly detected in several racing jurisdictions.

Tom Durkin became the full-time track announcer for the New York Racing Association on Aug. 29, 1990, which was opening day of the Belmont Park fall meeting. He didn’t begin calling the races at Saratoga until July 24, 1991, the year the meet was expanded from 24 to 30 days. This year marks the 21st year Durkin will call the races at the Spa. Recently, Daily Racing Form sat down with Durkin in his perch high above Belmont Park to talk about Saratoga.

“All things change, of course, even Saratoga,” wrote Kent Hollingsworth. Red Smith said, “From New York City you drive north for about 175 miles, turn left on Union Avenue and go back 100 years.”

The beauty of Saratoga is that they’re both right.

As Saratoga Race Course opens its gates this weekend for its 143rd meeting, the 142nd at its current location at the intersection of East and Union Avenues, thousands will come expecting it to look just as they remember it: the tree-lined horse path, the century-old grandstand, the verdant backyard.

Auditors for the state of New York will conduct an examination of the New York Racing Association’s financial documents, the office of the state comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli, announced on Wednesday.

The audit will be the third conducted by New York’s comptroller since NYRA emerged from bankruptcy in 2008 and reached an agreement with the state to lease Aqueduct, Belmont, and Saratoga until 2033. In a statement, DiNapoli’s office said the audit “will examine NYRA’s response to two earlier comptroller audits, which called for significant cost reductions.”

Churchill Downs Inc. and the Stronach Group have renewed a partnership agreement that will keep the horse race broadcasting network HRTV on the air until 2015, the two companies said on Wednesday.

The renewal includes commitments by both companies to supply the signals from their tracks exclusively to HRTV, which is available on Dish Network and several local cable networks. The tracks include Churchill Downs, Arlington Park, Fair Grounds, Calder Race Course, Gulfstream Park, Santa Anita Park, Laurel Park, and Pimlico Race Course.

New York State Sen. John Bonacic, the chairman of the Senate’s Racing, Wagering and Gaming Committee, will hold hearings later this summer to explore a handful of issues related to racing and casino gambling in the state, including the topic of whether the state can “legally” take control of the tracks leased by the New York Racing Association, according to a release from Bonacic’s office.

Jim Cassidy and Ron Ellis were elected to the board of directors of the California Thoroughbred Trainers, and Northern California vice president Gloria Haley was reelected to another three-year term, in voting conducted earlier this month.

Sentient Jet, a private aviation company, has reached an agreement to sponsor the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint, the newest race in the Breeders’ Cup lineup, the organization announced on Tuesday.

Sentient Jet has been a sponsor of the Breeders’ Cup year-end event since 2008. The agreement announced Tuesday will make the company the title sponsor of the $500,000 Juvenile Sprint, which will be run for the first time at the 2011 Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4.