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I think tracks canceling due to heat is the right decision, not for PR reasons, but to actually protect the human and equine athletes - and for that matter, spectators, especially at the bigger venues!
Right now in Chester, WV, it's 90 degrees and the real feel is 99 - at 7:40 p.m.! These are not conditions that horses at Mountaineer are at all used to being in, much less racing in. In this track's case, it was right to cancel. There was no other time the track could have possibly rescheduled to.
Regarding NYRA, I'll continue to be a defender of them here. Are they perfect? No, but no organization is, and I believe they do it better than most.
Obviously, no track wants to cancel a card for any reason. They're voluntarily choosing to forego profits that day.
I agree these cancelations, just like cancelations due to lack of entries, can be especially hard on the horsemen and horsewomen, particularly backstretch workers. The solution is not to continue to run in dangerous conditions, but rather for tracks and others to offer ancillary support services like what Saratoga BEST does.
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