As live racing cancellations continued to mount Wednesday in light of unhealthy air quality due to residual smoke from Canadian wildfires, training will be prohibited Thursday morning at both Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced Wednesday evening. This is particularly impactful as Belmont's three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival is scheduled to kick off Thursday afternoon.
A decision regarding Thursday's live racing program at Belmont, which has a first post of 3:05 p.m. and will feature the GII Wonder Again S. for 3-year-old fillies on grass, will be made Thursday morning following a review of the air quality conditions and forecast, NYRA said.
A total of 15 graded races are scheduled to be run over the three-day Festival, highlighted by Saturday's running of the GI Belmont S., the third leg of the Triple Crown.
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