Aqueduct cancels Feb. 3-4; Withers rescheduled for Feb. 11

With frigid temperatures and high winds in the forecast, Aqueduct has canceled live racing on Friday and Saturday. The Thursday card is going forward, with a first post time of 12:50 p.m. (ET).

The cancellation affects Aqueduct’s next leg of the Road to the Kentucky Derby, the Withers (G3), which will now be postponed one week to Saturday, Feb. 11. The 1 1/8-mile feature, worth points on the 20-8-6-4-2 scale to the top five finishers, will be redrawn on Wednesday, Feb. 8.

The Ruthless S. for three-year-old fillies, originally on Saturday’s Withers undercard, shifts just one day to Sunday, Feb. 5. Entries for the seven-furlong test on will be taken Thursday.

Friday’s wind chills are expected to be in the single digits, and Saturday’s values are projected to be 8-10 degrees. According to the press release from Aqueduct, the forecasts from the National Weather Service (NWS) as well as the New York Racing Association’s independent weather services are in agreement about the severity of the cold.

While live racing is canceled for Friday and Saturday to safeguard participants, the track remains open for simulcasting.