Rain, wind force Gulfstream Park to cancel last 3 races Saturday

With flood and wind advisories in effect, Gulfstream Park canceled the last three races on Saturday’s card.

“Heavy rain and high winds and a forecast calling for worsening conditions caused Gulfstream Park to cancel its final three races Saturday out of an abundance of caution for horses, horsemen and fans,” a track spokesperson said in a news release.

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Already moved off the turf and shortened from two miles to 1 5/8 miles on the all-weather track, the featured $100,000 H. Allen Jerkens Handicap was one of the races that was called off.

Before that the post times for the first eight races were accelerated.

“Please note that due to the inclement weather in and around Gulfstream Park and with what may be coming in, we are moving post times for each race up by a few minutes,” track spokesperson Brian Nadeau said in an early post on social media.

The Jerkens Handicap was rescheduled for next Sunday and will be redrawn with its original conditions. A $36,000 claiming race and a $72,000 allowance optional-claiming test were canceled.

Two races were run on the sloppy, sealed main track and eight on the Tapeta, including two that were moved off the turf.

The National Weather Service issued a flood watch and a wind advisory with both lasting until Sunday at 7 a.m. EST. The forecast for Hallandale Beach, Fla., predicted as much as 2 1/2 inches of rain with wind continuing to gust to 44 mph.

Live racing at Gulfstream Park is expected to resume Sunday. The stormy weather is expected to move out by 11 a.m. EST.