smoke

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...

Heavy smoke from wildfires in the northwest portion of the country has blanketed Grants Pass Downs at the Josephine County Fairgrounds in southern Oregon, causing track management there to postpone the scheduled opening day of the autumn meet from Sep. 14 to Sep. 21. "We are committed to protecting the health and safety of our guests, human and equine athletes, community of horsemen and women, and Grants Pass Downs staff," stated a track-issued press release published by FOX26 News. "Until the smoke from the fires decreases to a safe level,...

For the second day in a row, Golden Gate Fields in Northern California cancelled live racing Saturday due to smoke in the area. Recent wildfires in California and Oregon have been well documented in the news, and the Bay Area, where Golden Gate Fields is located, has been one of the hardest hit locales. Air quality has been deemed unsafe for both horses and humans. After cancelling both Sept. 11 and Sept. 12 due to the conditions, Golden Gate's next day of live racing is scheduled to be Sunday.