Churchill Downs officials will
adjust their post times and race exclusively in the evening for the final three
days of its 138th Spring Meet due to looming near-record triple-digit heat in
the forecast for Louisville. The first race on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
will be 6:30 p.m. (all times Eastern). On Tuesday evening it was decided
that Thursday’s nine-race program would be cancelled because National
Weather Service forecasters were calling for a high of 103 with a southwest
wind of 5-15 mph and gusts up to 26 mph.
Revised Closing Week Schedule at
Churchill Downs (June 28-July 1)
|
Day
|
First Race
|
Last Race
|
Races
|
|
Thursday, June 28
|
Cancelled (originally 12:45 p.m.)
|
Cancelled (originally 4:54 p.m.)
|
Cancelled (9 races)
|
|
Friday, June 29
|
6:30 p.m. (originally 2:45 p.m.)
|
11:30 p.m. (originally 7:54 p.m.)
|
11 races
|
|
Saturday, June 30
|
6:30 p.m. (originally 6 p.m.)
|
11:40 p.m. (originally 6 p.m.)
|
11 races
|
|
Sunday, July 1
|
6:30 p.m. (originally 12:45 p.m.)
|
11:00 p.m. (originally 5:20 p.m.)
|
10 races
|
Track officials made the decision to
adjust its closing weekend schedule following a meeting with National Weather
Service forecasters on Wednesday afternoon.
“Given the record-setting heat
expected throughout the closing weekend of our Spring Meet, we hope the shift
of our Friday ‘Twilight Racing’ program and Sunday’s closing day racing program
to nighttime programs is a solution that, given the forecast for extreme heat,
is one that works for our horsemen and our racing fans,” said Churchill Downs
Racetrack President Kevin Flanery. “The installation of our permanent
lights three years ago has allowed the flexibility to adapt to the extreme heat
and develop a schedule that eases our most serious concerns about the safety of
our equine and human athletes, meets the needs of our horsemen by preserving
races scheduled for the meet’s final three days, and provides fans who wish to
enjoy Churchill Downs racing – either on-track, online or at satellite wagering
centers –the opportunity to do so.
“We regret that we will not be able
to make up the races lost through the cancellation of Thursday’s racing during
the final days of the Spring Meet, but our weather scenario deteriorated
rapidly early in the week and we had to make a swift decision on the status of
Thursday’s racing. Our team had a bit more time to focus on the meet’s final
three days and we consulted with the National Weather Service to determine, as
closely as possible, the hour-by-hour temperature scenario for the weekend. We
will continue to take every possible precaution to guard against heat-related
health issues over those three days, but we believe the night racing programs
on Friday and Sunday will ease the threat of weather-related
issues.”
The cancellation of races at
Churchill Downs is extremely rare. Thursday’s cancellation was only the 18th
documented weather-related cancellation in track history and the first related
to extreme heat.
Documented Live Racing Cancellations
at Churchill Downs
|
Date
|
Races
|
Races Lost
|
Reason
|
|
June 28, 2012
|
All Races
|
9
|
Forecast of extreme heat
|
|
June 23, 2011
|
All Races
|
9
|
Cleanup of damage following June
22 tornado
|
|
May 8, 2009
|
After Race 5
|
5
|
Heavy rain, thunder &
lightning
|
|
May 30, 2004
|
After Race 4
|
6
|
Severe weather, tornado warnings
|
|
June 6, 1990
|
After Race 3
|
6
|
Severe weather, tornado warnings
|
|
Nov. 13, 1986
|
All Races
|
9
|
Frozen racetrack
|
|
Nov. 24, 1970
|
All Races
|
9
|
Frozen racetrack
|
|
Nov. 23, 1970
|
All Races
|
9
|
Frozen racetrack
|
|
Nov. 17, 1959
|
All Races
|
8
|
Frozen racetrack
|
|
Nov. 4, 1936
|
All Races
|
7
|
Snow
|
|
Sept. 29, 1884
|
All Races
|
n/a
|
Rain
|
|
Sept. 27, 1884
|
All Races
|
n/a
|
Rain
|
|
Sept. 24, 1884
|
All Races
|
n/a
|
Rain
|
|
Oct. 4, 1883
|
All Races
|
n/a
|
Rain
|
|
Oct. 1, 1883
|
All Races
|
n/a
|
Mud
|
|
May 22, 1883
|
All Races
|
n/a
|
Rain
|
|
Sept. 28, 1882
|
All Races
|
n/a
|
Rain
|
|
Sept. 21, 1882
|
All Races
|
n/a
|
Mud
|
Admission gates for Friday, Saturday
and Sunday will open at 4 p.m.
(although Gate 17 will be open for simulcast wagering each day at 11:30 a.m.).
Buffets in the dining rooms will open at 5 p.m. General admission is $3 on
Friday and Sunday, and $10 on Saturday for Downs After Dark ($3 before 4 p.m.).
Friday’s Happy Hours in the paddock
area, featuring 16-ounce Stella Artois for $3 and music by Edgewood,
will switch to 6:30-9:30 p.m.
The spring finale of “Downs After
Dark Presented by Stella Artois and Finlandia Vodka” is Saturday and the
11-race card is billed as the second annual “White Party,” in which
on-track guests are encouraged to wear an all-white wardrobe. Paddock
entertainment will be provided by Trinity, a Miami-based trio that
uniquely mixes the sounds of a DJ and drums, and popular Nashville band, Burning
Las Vegas. Another special treat will be an appearance by Doug O’Neill,
the trainer of I’ll Have Another who’ll be on hand to accept the
engraved Kentucky Derby 138 trophies on behalf of the winning connections.
Sunday’s Junior Jockey Club
activities will go on as scheduled but the one-day “Who’s the Champ?
Handicapping Contest” scheduled that day has been postponed because of timing
conflicts. Pre-registered contestants will be contacted in the next few days by
track officials.
Although live racing was cancelled
for Thursday, Churchill Downs will be open at 11:30 a.m., as usual, for
simulcast wagering on racetracks throughout North America in the in the track’s
Clubhouse. Those groups and individual patrons who purchased seating for
Thursday are being contacted by Churchill Downs to reschedule their visit.
Weather has been a topic of
discussion on multiple occasions this season at Churchill Downs. The track’s
11-race “Opening Night” program on April 28 was delayed for 48 minutes when a
monstrous hailstorm pounded the facility and surrounding area after Race 4. Six
days later on Kentucky Oaks Day, a mid-afternoon threat of severe weather
prompted track officials to order the first known temporary evacuation of the
Churchill Downs’ infield with three races, including the Oaks, remaining on the
12-race card. The heaviest of the storms missed the track and racing resumed
after a 52-minute weather delay.