Ellis Park to Hold Special Makeup Card July 29

After canceling live racing July 19-20 because of the forecast for extreme heat, Ellis Park announced it will conduct a special Monday card July 29 to make up some of the canceled races.

On Saturday, Ellis officials said racing will be held Sunday, July 21, when the temperature is supposed to cool a bit and cloud cover is expected.

Post time for the July 29 card has not been determined.

"Once that heat index gets up to 105-110, we don't want to take any chances," said Ellis Park racing secretary Dan Bork. "We consulted with the horsemen and the racing commission, and we thought it was in the best interest of everybody to just take these two days off and then we'll take a look at Sunday and decide (Saturday) whether we'll be able to race then. It looks like maybe we'll get a little cloud cover, maybe a little breeze."

Mark Casse's assistant Allen Hardy said the mornings have stayed cool during training hours at Ellis Park, but the barn uses extra measures, such as shades to cover the shedrow, to help keep horses cool in the heat of the day.

"We get as many fans on the horses that we can, and we actually will have some guys that run and grab ice and we'll put ice in the water buckets in the afternoon sometimes, or if horses are a little hot, we'll take them out and hose them down," Hardy said. "We usually increase some electrolytes with certain horses and maybe add extra vitamin shots here and there just to increase the vitamins and minerals that are going in their system."

Hardy also credited Ellis for having multiple stations set up between the barn and paddock areas to hose off horses during afternoon racing.

Racing secretary Dan Bork said water was a key precaution.

"There's water everywhere," Bork said. "We have water stations for horses that are walking on their way over. On their way back, there are hoses—at the finish line, by the paddock. So they're being cooled off as they're coming over, when they're here, and then immediately after a race.

"We have state veterinarians manned all the way around the racetrack, monitoring the horses as they come, as they leave. Any horse that is showing signs of distress, they won't be running. And, of course, the trainers keep an eye on their horses themselves. If they feel the horses can't handle the heat, they won't run."

Ellis Park will remain open Saturday for simulcast wagering on other tracks throughout the country and Historical Horse Racing gaming.