By Steve Sherack
ELMONT, NY — With unhealthy air quality conditions continuing to impact Long Island and all of New York State due to the Canadian wildfires, live racing at Belmont Park Thursday–the first of three days of the highly anticipated Belmont Stakes Racing Festival–was canceled.
Thursday's co-featured GII Wonder Again S. and Jersey Girl S. will be redrawn today and brought back for Sunday's card.
As previously announced late Wednesday evening, training was canceled at both Saratoga Race Course and Belmont Park for Thursday morning.
“Safety is paramount as we navigate this unprecedented situation,” NYRA President & CEO David O'Rourke said in a press release. “NYRA will actively monitor all available data and weather information as we work toward the resumption of training and racing both here at Belmont Park and at Saratoga Race Course. Based on current forecast models and consultation with our external weather services, we remain optimistic that we will see an improvement in air quality on Friday.”
Live racing is slated to resume with an 11-race program featuring five stakes races at Belmont Park on Friday.
Trainer Brendan Walsh will be represented in the card's three Grade I races with GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) in the GI Acorn S., 'TDN Rising Star' New Year's Eve (Kitten's Joy) in the GI Just a Game S. and Flirting Bridge (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) in the GI New York S.
“Reading between the lines, it looks like it's starting to improve,” Walsh said Thursday morning. “Obviously, if the air quality is no good, then nobody is gonna go on to run. But if it's OK, then it's OK. I get the impression that it's a lot better today and the general consensus is that it's going to be cleared out later today.”
Walsh continued, “It's not ideal (missing a day of training), today especially. I've had similar situations before with snow and other things though. We shedrowed all of our horses today. We're just gonna have to make the best of it.”
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