As a result of the massive lake effect snowstorm that has dumped as much as six feet of snow over much of western New York, Batavia Downs announced that it has been forced to cancel its card of live racing scheduled for tonight (Wednesday, November 19) along with the qualifying races which had already been cancelled.

Batavia has received almost two feet of snow through Wednesday morning and squalls are forecast to continue throughout the day. As a result, the task of removing the tons of snow off the track and from around the barn area has become daunting. The logistics of that operation, along with concern for the horsepeople that ship in to race from the hardest-hit areas, has forced the cancellation.

Todd Haight, the track’s director/general manager of live racing, said, “We regret that we were forced to cancel the card, especially since there are only nine racing nights left. But the situation is such that we had no choice. You can’t fight Mother Nature. I will be seeking approval from the New York State Gaming Commission for an additional date in December to make up for this loss so our horsemen have the opportunity to race for the scheduled purse monies before we shut down for the year.”

Any additional date that may be granted by the state will be released as soon as the track gets confirmation.

The qualifying races that were also cancelled for Wednesday will be rescheduled for next Wednesday (November 26).

Live racing is scheduled to resume on Friday (November 21). However, the National Weather Service has already posted another lake-effect snow warning for the area starting later Wednesday and running until Friday morning. The service is also forecasting that up to two more feet of snow could fall by then. In the event the predicted weather materializes, the track will release any further changes to the racing schedule as soon as possible.

(With files from Batavia)