Promise of more rain leads Fair Grounds to call off Friday races
After a flood notice was posted by the government for the Gulf Coast around New Orleans, Friday races at Fair Grounds were called off.
“Following excessive rain overnight and throughout the morning, and after a consultation between track management and the stewards, a joint decision was made to cancel Friday’s card at Fair Grounds,” a track statement said Friday.
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Eight races worth a total of $179,000 in purses were canceled. There were 59 horses entered who had not been scratched before the announcement was posted on Twitter on Friday at 1:49 p.m. EST, 26 minutes before the scheduled start of the first race. No stakes were on the card.
According to the National Weather Service website Friday, “The Weather Prediction Center has all of southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi in a slight risk for flooding rainfall potential today mainly from this morning through (6 p.m. EST). ... There is a marginal risk of severe storms today, mainly from (8 a.m. to 3 p.m.). Some of these storms could produce damaging winds and isolated tornados.”
The government forecast for New Orleans indicated showers and thunderstorms before 4 p.m. EST on Friday, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. and then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5 p.m. The high was forecast to be 69 with southeast wind 10-15 mph and an 80 percent chance of up to a half-inch of rain.
There still was a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before midnight EST, with a low around 59, and southeast wind around 5 mph becoming southwest after 1 a.m.
Live racing was scheduled to resume Saturday with the regular post time of 2:15 p.m. EST. The 10-race card will include four $100,000 stakes, including the Woodchopper, the Pago Hop and a pair of Louisiana futurities.
Saturday was forecast to start cloudy before gradually becoming mostly sunny with a high ner 70 and west wind 5-10 mph.