The Eastern Seaboard of North America is currently feeling the wrath of what meteorologists have dubbed a 'Frankenstorm', and the harness racing industry is among the businesses bracing for the blast of brutal weather.
Freehold Raceway announced that live racing scheduled for Thursday, November 1, Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 3 has been cancelled due to a power failure resulting from Hurricane Sandy.
Freehold Raceway reopened for simulcasting on Friday, November 2 after partial power was restored to the facility. Simulcasting will include wagering on all Breeder's Cup races. The Renaissance Dining Room will be open for lunch and dinner. Favorites at Toms River re-opened for simulcasting on Thursday after also being closed for three days due to lack of power.
Currently, the backstretch area is still without power.
Live racing is scheduled to resume on Thursday, November 8.
Meadowlands Racetrack will be open for simulcast wagering on Thursday, November 1.
Gates open at 11:00 a.m. A simulcast calendar is available online at meadowlandsracetrack.com. Winners Bayonne, the Meadowlands’ off-track wagering facility, re-opened Wednesday, Oct. 31 for wagering and dining.
Monmouth Park has announced that it will cancel its remaining live turf cards at the Meadowlands on Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 3.
The Fort Erie Race Track for thoroughbreds issued a press release today (Monday, October 29) stating that due to inclement weather expected from Hurricane Sandy, the program scheduled for Tuesday, October 30 has been cancelled.
The release cited the expected severity of the storm and dangerous conditions for horses and jockeys as main reasons for the cancellation.
The track is attempting to race its Monday card as programmed, but will be monitoring the situation on a race-by-race basis.
Rosecroft Raceway has cancelled its scheduled Tuesday, October 30 race card due to the storm. The Tuesday race card will be carried over in its entirety and raced on Saturday, November 3 (first-race post time is 7:25 p.m.). Scratch time for the card will be Thursday morning at 10:00 a.m.
Simulcasting will resume Wednesday at noon, but there will be no training day at Rosecroft this week. Training day is usually Thursday morning eight a.m. to noon, but the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy has made it necessary to cancel training for this week.
Rosecroft will draw the card for Tuesday, November 6th on Thursday, November 1st. The events will be those originally scheduled for Saturday night November 3rd. The box will open at noon on Thursday.
Any questions please phone the Race Office at Rosecroft 301-567-4435.The current condition sheet for the November 3 and 6 race dates will be modified so that the races originally scheduled for Saturday. November 3 (normally drawn on Wednesdays) will now be moved to Tuesday, November 6 with entries being drawn on Thursday, November 1 between 12:00 noon and 3:00 p.m.
Woodbine Racetrack pulled the plug on Monday evening's harness racing program after Race 7 due to inclement weather conditions.
Harness racing is scheduled to return to Woodbine on Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m.
Monday's qualifying session at Mohawk Racetrack have been cancelled due to the inclement weather.
Qualifiers resume at the Campbellville, Ont. oval on Friday, November 2 at 10 a.m.
Vernon Downs has closed simulcast operations for Monday, October 29 and Tuesday, October 30. Casino and Hotel operations remain open at this time and simulcast operations are scheduled to resume on Wednesday, October 31.
Yonkers Raceway has cancelled live racing and evening simulcasting for both Monday and Tuesday nights, October 29 to 30, due to Hurricane Sandy. Live racing (and evening simulcasting) is scheduled to resume Thursday, November 1 with the usual 7:10 p.m. first post. Afternoon simulcasting is scheduled to resume Friday, with the beginning the Aqueduct meet.
Yonkers is reminding horsepeople that there is a double draw (for Friday and Saturday, [November 2 and 3]) scheduled for today (Tuesday), with the entry box for both days closing at 4:00 p.m. For more information, please contact the race office at 914-457-2627.
Live racing has been cancelled for Monday, October 29 at Harrington Raceway. The four Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) events will be contested Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m. Horsemen can view a Lasix schedule here.
Monticello Raceway has cancelled racing on both Monday, October 29 and Tuesday, October 30. Weather permitting, racing is scheduled to be resumed on Wednesday, October 31 with first post at 12:50 p.m. Beginning Thursday, November 1, Monticello's post times will revert back to 12:25 p.m. and continue at that time until February 2013.
The Meadowlands Racetrack and Winners Bayonne are closed Tuesday, October 30 due to Hurricane Sandy.
Winners Bayonne will be open for simulcast wagering on Wednesday, October 31, while Meadowlands Racetrack will remain closed as preparations are made to re-open the building to the public after Hurricane Sandy.
Meadowlands Racetrack would like to assure customers that its grandstand will be open for the full-card simulcast of the Breeders' Cup World Championships from Santa Anita on Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 3. Customers are advised to call 201-THE-BIGM or go to MeadowlandsRacetrack.com for updates. Customers are advised to call 201-THE-BIGM or go to meadowlandsracetrack.com for updates about simulcasting on Wednesday, October 31.
The Meadows and the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association have announced that the card for Tuesday, October 30 has been cancelled and the racing under saddle (RUS) or 'Monte' race that was scheduled for Wednesday, October 31 has been rescheduled. The two organizations wanted to stress, however, that the Meadows' October 31 card will still be raced, just without the Monte race on the docket. For complete information, click here.
Due to the cancellation of most live racing in the eastern United States, the Meadows off-track sites will be closed Tuesday afternoon, but will reopen for simulcasting at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday. The race book at the track will maintain regular Tuesday hours. All sites are expected to return to regular hours Wednesday. Live racing is set to resume Wednesday at 6:55 p.m.
Hurricane Sandy has forced the cancellation of live racing at Pocono Downs for Tuesday, October 30.
Pocono Downs' simulcast room, as well as all three off-track locations, in East Stroudsburg, Lehigh Valley, and Carbondale, will be closed on Tuesday, October 30.
Live racing at Pocono will resume Wednesday, October 31 with a first-race post time of 6:30 p.m.
Trot Insider will post additional cancellations as they are made available.