Storms Cancel King's Plate Card; Rescheduled Aug. 23

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 08/17/2024 - 13:22
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Storms Cancel King's Plate Card; Rescheduled Aug. 23
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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. The King's Plate and four other stakes will now be run on Friday, August 23.

That date would avoid weekend conflicts with other major stakes races, such as the loaded stakes card on Travers Stakes Day, Aug. 24, at Saratoga Race Course.

Officials said the cancellation was made in the interest of horse safety and due to unsafe track conditions and 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. Woodbine officials were hopeful the six-day delay of the King's Plate would not significantly follow up participation in the other races in the series. The scheduled date of the second leg, the Prince of Wales Stakes at 1 3/16 miles on dirt, is Sept. 10 at Fort Erie, and the Sept. 29 Breeders' Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf at Woodbine concludes the Candian Triple Crown. 

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.