Heavy Rain, Track Conditions Cancel King's Plate Card

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Heavy Rain, Track Conditions Cancel King's Plate Card
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt

Woodbine, pounded by heavy rain that first resulted in its scheduled turf races being moved to its Tapeta main track, canceled racing for its King's Plate card after the fifth race Aug. 17.

Officials said the cancellation was made in the interest of horse safety and due to unsafe track conditions. Track announcer Robert Geller announced King's Plate would be rescheduled, but no date was immediately given. Track officials later confirmed the rescheduling, stating in a release that a new date would be made public as soon as possible on its website and social media platforms.

Woodbine said the decision was made after consultation with the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, jockeys, and veterinarians.

The Tapeta surface at Woodbine seemed to withstand the initial downpours of the day before the track later scrapped racing. The sixth race, had it gone off, would have been run about an hour and a half after its scheduled post. Lightning and heavy rain had caused weather delays earlier in the day.

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The sixth-race horses were in the paddock, and then unsaddled moments before the cancellation announcement was made.

None of the five stakes races on the day had been contested, which was to be topped by the CA$1 million King's Plate Stakes, the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown and the oldest continuously run stakes race in North America. It was not immediately clear whether a postponement of the Plate would alter the schedule for the other races in the series, which had been planned to continue with the Sept. 10 Prince of Wales Stakes at 1 3/16 miles on dirt at Fort Erie and the Sept. 29 Breeders' Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf at Woodbine.

Tapeta drains differently than dirt tracks and can typically handle steady rain but the volume of precipitation Saturday apparently proved too much, as determined by Woodbine officials. Other areas of the track, such as the area between the Tapeta main track and the inner turf course, showed puddles of standing water. A video posted on social media of the tunnel used by horses to go from the paddock to the racetrack also showed standing water.

This story will be updated.