After months of anticipation, the first weekend’s pari-mutuel races were canceled after the racing commission track inspector determined that the underlying track conditions were still too wet to allow for safe races on Sunday.  A similar decision was made Saturday by Todd Thomas, though it was clear early in the morning that such was likely to be the case.

Rainfall had created a number of holes and some areas of uneven ground on the track, which poses a danger to the horses and jockeys.  Regardless of the inconvenience to those who had been hoping for a day of racing, safety always has to come first in a sport where any wrong steps can be disastrous to all involved.

“It’s disappointing, of course,” Fairboard Secretary Diane Skidmore said.  “But it’s what we had to do in this case.”  Track officials were hopeful up until nearly post time on Sunday that the day’s events could be salvaged, but it was ultimately decided that it was too risky to move forward until the surface has had longer to dry out.

According to Skidmore, the number of racers who will not be returning for next week’s event is such that it will be possible to schedule two full days of racing for the coming weekend, as well as two derbies and two futurities.  As the qualifying races ended up having to be scrapped, the derby and futurity rosters will be split into two apiece, and the winners will divide the purse, allowing for fairness in competition as much as is possible under the circumstances.

The track intends to put on 10 races total, including the two derbies and futurities.  Maria’s Tacos, a popular race attraction, will be back for the weekend, as will the American Legion burgers and beer booth.  

Last year saw the cancellation of the Saturday race events as well.  While rainfall substantial enough to affect the races is not unheard of, two years in a row of August rainstorms are at the very least unusual.  The forecast for this week contains some occasional cloud cover during the middle of the week, though no precipitation is anticipated.  (It might be pointed out that no precipitation was expected last weekend either.)  The weekend is predicted to be sunny and in the mid-80s, and free from rain.  Of course, this year has been anything but predictable as far as weather is concerned, so keep your fingers crossed!