As the Belmont Stakes (G1) approaches as scheduled June 10 at Belmont Park, officials from the New York Racing Association, New York State Gaming Commission, and Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority are monitoring the air quality in the Elmont, N.Y., area to decide the status of the classic.
NYRA canceled training and racing at Belmont June 8 as air quality has been poor since June 5 because of smoke from wildfires in Canada. In making the announcement Thursday morning, NYRA president and CEO David O'Rourke expressed optimism that air quality would improve beginning June 9.
Glen Kozak, NYRA vice president of facilities and racing surfaces, outlined the efforts to ensure the air is safe enough for fans and competitors—human and equine—in the days ahead. He said NYRA will make decisions in consultation with the New York State Gaming Commission and HISA.
"The protocols have been released from the New York State Gaming Commission on what steps are taking place as far as the monitoring at the different levels and the consultations that'll take place," Kozak said.
NYRA is well positioned for such monitoring as it already keeps close tabs on other weather issues, such as rainfall and extreme heat.
"It's very similar to what we do with the other protocols; like the heat index," Kozak said Thursday. "This is just something that certainly in New York we haven't had to deal with in the past. So getting this together, I think it shows how the (New York State) Gaming Commission, HISA, and an organization like NYRA have been able to implement these protocols and make a plan that puts the best interests of the horses and the riders in place. It's something that we'll continue to monitor over the next coming days.
"The nice thing to see is that the numbers are trending lower. ... With the three different weather services that we currently are using, there is a trend showing that the numbers will start to diminish this evening and then we should be in a much better situation for (Friday)."
Kozak said NYSGC equine medical director Dr. Scott Palmer, NYRA veterinary department director Anthony Verderosa, and officials from NYRA, HISA, and NYGSC will make a decision on training and racing Friday based on guidelines in place.
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority is working with NYRA and other tracks as smoke from wildfires has impacted racing in the Northeast. HISA does not have a specific rule regarding air quality, but HISA's Racetrack Safety rules require racetracks to develop, implement, and annually review hazardous weather protocols.
HISA supports the use of the Air Quality Index as published at airnow.gov to guide decisions about training and racing. At 10 a.m. ET Thursday, the AQI in Elmont, where Belmont is located, registered a 155, a figure deemed "unhealthy" on that scale. It was a "very unhealthy" 209 in New York City at the same time. Both figures were down from peak levels June 7 in the region. Wind flow and other factors can impact the AQI, and skies cleared somewhat by noon, when the Elmont AQI dropped slightly to 153.
The NYGSC released its protocols Thursday, noting that particulates in the atmosphere can build up in both horse and human respiratory systems, causing serious health problems, including irritation of the eyes and respiratory tract. With horses, the poor air quality could irritate exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage.
The NYGSC noted that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency publishes AQI, which considers the amount of particle pollution, ground-level ozone, and toxic gases in the air. The EPA has established a six-color-coded tool for communicating about outdoor air quality and health. The colors correspond to a range of index values. The higher the AQI value, the greater the health concern. This guidance matches that of HISA.
Compared with Wednesday, the air quality in the Elmont area improved Thursday—the AQI was listed at 135 in the late afternoon. Should it again exceed 150, actions to ensure added precautions will be set in motion as outlined by the NYGSC.
The NYGSC said effective immediately, with the AQI under 150, horsemen should monitor their horses for signs of respiratory inflammation and contact their attending veterinarian to evaluate horses exhibiting coughing, respiratory distress, nasal discharge, or fever. It is otherwise safe to exercise or race horses at these AQI levels.
Should the AQI surpass 201, no training or racing will be conducted.
