Extreme Heat Causes Cancellations at Multiple Tracks

Due to forecasts calling for extreme heat, Monmouth Park has canceled live racing for Friday, July 3, track officials announced. The six races originally scheduled for Friday will be used as extras for Sunday. The draw for Sunday's card will take place later this afternoon. When live racing resumes on Saturday, July 4, admission will be free in honor of America's 250th anniversary. Admission will also be free to all patrons on Sunday, July 5. Sunday is also designated as First Responders Day. Horseshoe Indianapolis, ELLis Park Cancel July 2 Fresh on the heels of the cancellation and move of the Wednesday, July 1 racing card to Monday, July 6, Horseshoe Indianapolis has made the decision to also cancel the Thursday, July 2 racing program. Elevated heat indexes are predicted to surge past unsafe conditions prompting the second cancellation this week. "With the forecasted heat index approaching 110 degrees, we are being proactive and canceling racing on Thursday," said Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing. "We work closely with our horsemen's groups to determine the best decision in these cases. We fully expect to be racing Saturday, July 4th as the heat subsides a bit in Central Indiana." The races canceled for Thursday, July 2 are being brought back for next week's schedule so no racing opportunities are lost for the horsemen. A special Independence Day racing program is slated for Saturday, July 4 beginning at 12 p.m. at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Also, racing will now be conducted Monday, July 6 to make up for one of the canceled days of racing this week. The added program Monday kicks off a big week of six straight days of racing leading up to the 32nd running of the Grade 3 $300,000 Indiana Derby Saturday, July 11. READ: Several Tracks Postpone Cards Due to Heat In Kentucky, Ellis Park announced July 1 that it would move Friday's card in its entirety to Thursday, July 9 due to excessive heat forecasted for the Henderson, Ky. area. The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for the area through 8 p.m. CT Friday, with heat index values of 107 degrees. There are no changes to Saturday-Monday's schedule, with first posts of 11:50 a.m. each day. Previously, Ellis Park officials announced Thursday's card would shift in its entirety to Monday due to the excessive temperatures. Other cancellations can be found online at Equibase.com. Charles Town to Race Later in the Evening Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races has moved its Thursday and Friday first post times to 8 p.m. ET. This adjustment applies only to the Thursday, July 2 and Friday, July 3 cards and has been made in the interest of safety due to the extreme heat expected to impact much of the East Coast. "The safety and well-being of all of our racing participants is our top priority," said Charles Town's Director of Racing Operations Charlie McIntosh. "With the extreme heat forecast for this week, we felt it was important to move Thursday and Friday's first post times to 8 p.m. ET. This adjustment allows us to provide a safer environment for everyone involved while still delivering quality racing for our fans." Saturday's card will start at its normal 7 p.m. ET first post.