Saratoga: Damaging storm pushes turf races to main track

A fierce storm that caused flooding and knocked down trees and a utility pole Tuesday at Saratoga forced the New York Racing Association to move its two scheduled flat turf races Wednesday to the main track.

The Grade 1, $150,000 A. P. Southwick Memorial steeplechase, which would have opened the card at 1:10 p.m. EDT, was postponed until Sunday with a new draw from scratch Wednesday.

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“Today’s grass races are off the turf,” the NYRA said in a 7:42 a.m. EDT text message to horsemen. “The steeplechase race has been canceled. Today’s card starts at 1:44 p.m. with race 2.”

With the threat of bad weather already looming, the only Wednesday flat races that were scheduled for the turf were a pair of maiden tests for fillies and mares. The sixth race will cover 5 1/2 furlongs on the main track, the same distance it would have been on the grass. The ninth will change from a two-turn race covering 1 1/16 miles to a dirt mile starting from the Wilson chute.

Saratoga Race Course was hit by 1.92 inches of rain Tuesday, according to NYRA spokesperson Pat McKenna in a post to X.

“Some damage to trees on the property, but very minor compared to what we’ve seen to the north,” McKenna wrote.

Images posted on social media showed standing water in and around stables and a track entrance. Trainer Mark Hennig put photos on X showing a fallen tree and a broken pole with wires draped along the wet ground.

NYRA did not say whether any humans or horses were injured.

Repairs will require a partial power shutdown that originally was scheduled for Wednesday but was pushed back to Thursday. It will affect the southern edge of the backside close to Nelson Avenue, not far from the seven-eighths chute.

“Update to previous texts,” NYRA told horsemen at 1:43 p.m. EDT. “Power will be turned off (Thursday) at 11 a.m. for about five hours, possibly less.”

The local utility Hour Electric will be making “repairs to the Clare Court (barns 3-6) overhead electric system” and that a “new corner pole will be installed by barn 10. ... Barns 3 through 11 as well as the dorms in general area will be affected.”

The area for the power outage Thursday is shown with a red border:

The National Weather Service said there is still a 60 percent chance of showers Wednesday and maybe a thunderstorm after 4 p.m. A 40 percent rain threat lingers through the night. The forecast indicated there could be another half-inch to 1 1/4 inches of rain.

Sunny, dry conditions are forecast for Thursday through Sunday with highs in the 80s.

Seven flat turf races at Saratoga will have been forced to the main track as a result of wet weather since the meet opened Thursday. The 40-day meet last year had 65 races taken off the turf compared with 16 in 2022.