Smoke Cancels Racing At Belmont Park 48 Hours Prior To Stakes

As smoke from over 300 Canadian wildfires wreaks havoc on the air quality in northeast, the sports world continues its navigation through these unique circumstances.

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Thursday morning, the New York Racing Association canceled live racing at Belmont Park for the day due to poor air quality conditions, a mere 48 hours prior to Belmont Stakes day. The forecast for the area does not call for much of an improvement on Thursday but is hopeful for the weekend.

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NYRA had already canceled morning training at Saratoga Race Course and Belmont Park. “Safety is paramount as we navigate this unprecedented situation,” said NYRA President & CEO David O’Rourke in a release to the media. “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.”

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In the statement, NYRA reported that Thursday’s co-featured Grade 2, $200,000 Wonder Again and $150,000 Jersey Girl will be re-scheduled for Sunday, June 11th at Belmont Park. The races will be brought back as extras for Sunday's race card. The indoor facilities at Belmont Park and Aqueduct Racetrack will remain open for simulcasting on Thursday.

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Live racing is scheduled to resume at Belmont on Friday with an 11-race card. On Saturday, the 155th running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets headlines a racing line-up that features a whopping nine-graded stakes races. First post on Saturday is 11:20 a.m. For more information on the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, visit BelmontStakes.com.

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