air quality

Woodbine cancelled its Friday races due to poor air quality from wildfires in the area, the racetrack said in a press release. Environment Canada's air quality index for Toronto was listed as 'High Risk' Friday and was expected to remain at that level throughout the day. As of Thursday, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center said 201 fires were burning in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, with half of them considered "out of control." Woodbine Entertainment's decision to cancel came through consultation with the HBPA and the Alcohol...

Acting upon the recommendation of the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission (DTRC) veterinarians in conjunction with the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) air quality guidelines, Delaware Park has cancelled its live racing card scheduled for today, the track said in a release Thursday. Live racing is scheduled to resume tomorrow, Friday, June 30th. Poor air quality also prompted officials at JACK Thistledown and at Charles Town to call off their live racing programs Thursday. Live racing has been cancelled for Thursday, June 29th due to deteriorating air quality. AQI...

Dangerous air quality conditions caused by wildfires in Canada have forced the cancellation of the live racing programs at Hawthorne Race Course in suburban Chicago and at Horseshoe Indianapolis further to the south and east. "Based on the poor air quality in Indiana today's races have been canceled," a tweet from the track read. "This decision was made mutually with our horsemen based on the safety of the participants in our racing program coming first. A decision on bringing today's races back will be made shortly." Track announcer John Dooley...

Golden Gate Fields in Berkley, California, cancelled the Oct. 2 live racing card due to poor air quality stemming from the widespread fires in the state. "Due to unhealthy air quality unsuitable for racing, Golden Gate Fields is cancelling live racing today," according to a Tweet posted by the track. "We will be monitoring this situation on a daily basis."

While racing this week at Santa Anita has been canceled due to the fires that are ravaging the West, its sister track, Golden Gate Fields, will be back in business starting Thursday. Golden Gate Vice President and General Manager David Duggan said the area surrounding the track has undergone a dramatic transformation, with clear blue skies having replaced the orange glow that had surrounded the Bay Area earlier. Golden Gate was forced to cancel its three weekend cards last week and as not raced since Sept. 7. "Last Thursday, you...

Santa Anita management sent a text to trainers Tuesday morning advising them that workouts would be canceled because of the air quality. "The AQI is at 159 this morning. We are going to cancel workouts and only allow gallopers and joggers," the text said. In conjunction with Dr. Rick Arthur, the Equine Medical Director at UC Davis, where he is assigned full time to the California Horse Racing Board, the Stronach Group has a policy that any air quality index about 150 could be unhealthy for horses, and that exercise...