And it might be 100 degrees.
On Friday, PETA people for the ethical treatment of animals wrote the Southern Oregon Horse Racing Association.
Its letter said horses are pushed to the limit every time they race, and the additional stress of skyrocketing temperatures can cause brain damage, heatstroke, and even fatal cardiac trauma.
Race organizers said they will have races as long as the Heat Index is under 105.
“There are misters where the jockeys are, there are misters on the back side in the test barn, and then we have several watering areas, where we have hoses and sprays”, said Rod Lowe, Southern Oregon Horse Racing Association.
The Oregon Racing Commission told us it makes the decision on canceling races due to weather.
It said quote – “while we do use standards established by the NYRA the New York Racing Association we also may choose to use more strict guidelines” – end quote.
The post time for Tuesday’s races is 1 pm.
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