Horse Racing News is the source of thoroughbred racing information with horse racing odds, betting tips, racing picks, race results, and handicapping. Latest news and articles on top horse racing contenders, jockeys, trainers, three-year-olds, race tracks, and major stakes races such as the Triple Crown races: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes as well as the Breeders' Cup horse races.Saratoga Cancels Racing Due To Torrential Rain
Posted on Friday, August 8th, 2008
Horse racing was canceled at Saratoga Race Course after torrential rain and hail washed out part of the stretch turn on Friday.
The last horse racing program canceled at Saratoga was on August 2, 2006, because of extreme heat. That was the first whole card canceled here since the introduction of pari-mutuel wagering in 1940.
NYRA lost a total of eight horse races to Friday’s deluge, which was the first storm-related loss of races at Saratoga in 4 years.
Rain checks were issued Friday and the track stayed open for simulcasting.
The thunderstorm hit after the second race and track maintenance crews estimated repairing several washed-out areas between the quarter pole and five-sixteenths would take more than an hour.
“Even after an hour, there was no guarantee that the track would be up to standard,” said NYRA President Charles Hayward. “The threat of more storms was real and we decided to cancel for the safety of the horses and jockeys.”
The cancellation was severe blow to NYRA, which–in the face of wet weather, high gasoline prices and a weak economy–has seen sharp declines in attendance and betting handle through the first half of the six-week race meeting. Both have fallen short of comparable 2007 figures on 11 of 15 days of racing.
"Saratoga Cancels Racing Due To Torrential Rain" was posted on Friday, August 8th, 2008 at 7:18 pm and is filed under Horse Racing Industry, Race Tracks News, Saratoga, USA Horse Racing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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