Too Hot To Trot: Saratoga, Monmouth Park Cancel Racing Cards

Heat Wave In Northeast Forces Several Tracks To Cancel Race Cards

A “daily double of heat and humidity forced the first full-card cancellation” in the history of Saratoga Race Course yesterday, according to Sherry Ross of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. A “typical Wednesday in August would have drawn about 16,000 fans to the track and resulted in total handle of about” $12M. The track has lost “as many as four races on one day due to weather-related problems, but this is the first time” it made a “preemptive decision.” Jockey Richard Migliore, who was among “the few dissenters,” said, “If it’s Saturday and the Whitney was running, would they not run? You set that precedent, now how are you going to follow through with that?” NYRA Senior VP Bill Nader said, “This is not a set-in-stone policy decision. If it’s a Travers Day, we might take every precaution short of a cancellation and maybe get through it. Today was a day we could sacrifice for the sake of the welfare of the participants” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 8/3). Trainer D. Wayne Lukas: “The New York tracks are under such scrutiny. All they need is the bad publicity if a horse died of heat exhaustion. That would be really tragic” (N.Y. POST, 8/3). NYRA will add extra races to cards “throughout the remainder of the meet to make up for the nine races that had been scheduled” (N.Y. TIMES, 8/3).

AROUND THE TRACK: Racing at Monmouth Park was also canceled yesterday “due to the heat wave,” but the clubhouse was open for simulcasting. Monmouth VP/Racing Bob Kulina said that the track “is expected to be back in action today” (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 8/3). Other tracks cancelling racing yesterday were Delaware Park and Suffolk Downs. On Tuesday, Delaware Park, Colonial Downs in Virginia and Finger Lakes in central New York also canceled racing (THE DAILY).