heat

by Kit Gow/TTR AusNZ The Victorian Thoroughbred community has come together over the last three days to evacuate hundreds of horses to safety as a major bushfire in Longwood ballooned in size and threatened to devastate several properties. Several Victorian farms have lost infrastructure, including homes owned by Ben Hayes and Magic Millions' Victoria and Tasmania manager Tim Brown. Fires burning since Wednesday in Victoria's major breeding regions have caused significant losses to several major breeding farms. As of Saturday evening, one person lost their life at Harcourt after being...

Ellis Park has canceled their Sunday and Monday race cards citing forecasted excessive heat in the Henderson, KY area. In a statement, the track said, "Due to forecasted extreme heat, Ellis Park has canceled live racing Sunday and Monday. Sunday's full card has been rescheduled for this Friday, Aug. 1, while Monday's races will be offered back as extras and an additional day of racing will be added Friday, Aug. 8." Heat index values are forecasted to top 106 degrees both days and the area is under a Heat Advisory...

The live racing card at Delaware Park will be canceled Friday due to expected extreme heat conditions in the area, the track said Thursday. In a statement, the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission said, "Acting upon the recommendation of the DTRC, veterinarians and stewards, Delaware Park has cancelled the live racing card scheduled for Friday, July 25, due to the excessive heat index forecasted by the National Weather Service to be above 105 for the region." Racing remained on schedule for Thursday and is due to resume with a full card...

Woodbine will delay the starting post time for the Sunday, June 22 card to 4 p.m. due to extreme heat forecast in the Toronto area, the track announced Friday. The release notes that the decision was made to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of [the] horses and all racing participants, with approval from the AGCO and consultation with the HBPA. Throughout the weekend, Woodbine will put additional safety measures in place, including shorter post parades and increased water/hose access for all horses pre- and post-race. Saturday's first post remains unchanged...

Woodbine has canceled Sunday's race card due to the extreme heat forecasted for the Toronto area. The release noted that the decision was made in consultation with the HBPA and the commissioned veterinarian with the safety of the horses and all racing participants a top priority. The Victoria Stakes has been rescheduled to Friday, July 19. Live racing at Woodbine is scheduled to return on Thursday, July 18 with first post at 4:50 p.m.

Thursday's eight-race card at Woodbine Racetrack has been pushed back and will begin at 6:05 p.m., the track announced Monday. The move was made in the best interest of horse welfare as an extreme heat warning is in effect for the city of Toronto and the surrounding areas. Woodbine noted that the decision to push back the start time was made in consultation with the HBPA. Woodbine is the latest track to alter post times due to the heat joining Finger Lakes, who moved both Tuesday and Wednesday cards up...

After pushing back their usual 12:40 p.m. post time to 1:50 p.m. due to heat, a severe thunderstorm forced the Maryland Jockey Club to cancel Laurel Park's live Friday program following the seventh race, with just two races remaining on the card. Racing will resume Saturday at 12:40 p.m. with a 10-race card.

Wednesday's eight-race program at Churchill Downs has been cancelled because of excessive heat in the Louisville area. A National Weather Service excessive heat warning for Louisville remains in effect until Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET. Heat index values of 105 to 109 are forecasted for Wednesday. Cancellations of races at Churchill Downs because of weather conditions are rare. Wednesday's cancellation was the 22nd in track history and only the second related to extreme heat, joining June 28, 2012. Racing at Churchill Downs is scheduled to resume Thursday at 5 p.m....