Frozen track forces Churchill to cancel second straight day

Unable to thaw its main track following a blast of winter

weather earlier this week, Churchill Downs has announced that it will

cancel live racing for a second consecutive day on Thursday, November 20.

This is the first time that a frozen racetrack has forced

back-to-back cancellations at Churchill Downs since November 23-24, 1970, and it's

only the seventh winter weather-related cancellation in the track's 140-year

history.

Despite tireless efforts by the 26-person track maintenance

team at Churchill Downs on Wednesday, training and the 10-race program scheduled

for Thursday has been canceled because the one-mile dirt racetrack remains

frozen.

The track maintenance team, led by Senior Director of Track

Surfaces David Lehr and Assistant Track Superintendent Jamie Richardson,

continued their around-the-clock maintenance of the surface Wednesday to no

avail.

Temperatures climbed into the 40s on Wednesday but sunshine was minimal

and southwest winds gusted as high as 30 miles per hour, which deterred their

efforts to thaw the main track through constant harrowing and grading.

"We had hoped to make significant progress on the track

today but the strong winds were no help and by late afternoon the track had

refrozen," said Kevin Flanery, president of Churchill Downs Racetrack. "A

suitable cushion is imperative and we haven't been able to get there because

Mother Nature isn't cooperating.

"The ground temperature is significantly cooler than the air temp, and even

with all of our team's effort we can't get the cushion to dry out evenly to

provide a suitable racing surface for our athletes. The health and safety of our

horses and jockeys remains paramount."

The National Weather Service forecast for Louisville, Kentucky, called

for overnight temperatures to fall to a low of 23 with a 20-percent chance of

snow showers between 9 p.m. and midnight (EST), which meant there was little chance of

significant improvement until well into the day on Thursday. Thursday called for

mostly sunny skies with a high near 33 and a west wind of 7 to 11 miles per

hour.

Horses have been unable to train on the dirt surface at

Churchill since Tuesday thanks to an early winter blast of three inches of

snow on Monday morning and frigid temperatures for more than a week. Ten-race

programs were scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.

The average temperature in Louisville this time of the year

is typically in the upper 50s.

Churchill Downs intends to stage a 10-race card Friday at

12:40 p.m. Friday's high is forecasted for 38 with mostly sunny skies. The

temperature should climb to a more seasonal 52 on Saturday when an 11-race card,

highlighted by the Grade 3, $100,000 Cardinal Handicap, is scheduled.

Closing day of the 26-day fall meet is Sunday, November 30, which means only eight

scheduled racing dates remain.

Cancellations of Churchill Downs racing programs due to

weather conditions are rare. Wednesday's cancellation was the first for the fall

meet since a wintry mix caused a frozen track on November 13, 1986. Thursday's

cancellation is the 20th documented weather-related cancellation at the

racetrack.

While there is no live racing at Churchill on

Thursday, simulcast wagering on other tracks around North America will be

available at Trackside at Churchill Downs. Admission will be free Thursday and

admission gates will open at 11:30 a.m.

Churchill Downs will contact groups and individual patrons

who had purchased seating for Thursday's racing program to reschedule their

visit.

Documented Weather-Related Cancellations in Churchill Downs

History:

Date		Meet		Races		Races Lost		Reason
11/20/2014		Fall		All Races		10		Frozen racetrack
11/19/2014		Fall		All Races		10		Frozen racetrack
6/28/2012		Spring		All Races		9		Extreme Heat
6/23/2011		Spring		All Races		9		Clean-up of damage following June 22 tornado
5/8/2009		Spring		After Race 5		5		Heavy rain, thunder & lightning
5/30/2004		Spring		After Race 4		6		Severe weather, tornado warnings
6/6/1990		Spring		After Race 3		6		Severe weather, tornado warnings
11/13/1986		Fall		All Races		9		Frozen racetrack
11/24/1970		Fall		All Races		9		Frozen racetrack
11/23/1970		Fall		All Races		9		Frozen racetrack
11/17/1959		Fall		All Races		8		Frozen racetrack
11/4/1936		Fall		All Races		7		Snow
9/29/1884		Fall		All Races		n/a		Rain
9/27/1884		Fall		All Races		n/a		Rain
9/24/1884		Fall		All Races		n/a		Rain
10/4/1883		Fall		All Races		n/a		Rain
10/1/1883		Fall		All Races		n/a		Mud
5/22/1883		Spring		All Races		n/a		Rain
9/28/1882		Fall		All Races		n/a		Rain
9/21/1882		Fall		All Races		n/a		Mud