Could Hurricane Sandy, forecast to strike New York on Monday and Tuesday, throw a glitch into this year’s Breeders’ Cup, though the Cup is being held next Friday and Saturday in Arcadia, Calif.?

It could, because trainers Shug McGaughey, Chad Brown, Bill Mott and Todd Pletcher, among others, are currently training most of their Breeders’ Cup horses at Belmont Park, including likely favorites Point of Entry, Royal Delta and Shanghai Bobby, and the flights carrying those horses to California are scheduled to leave Monday and Tuesday.

Breeders’ Cup rules require all runners be stabled on the grounds at Santa Anita 72 hours before their race. That’s Tuesday for the six Friday races, Wednesday for the nine races on Saturday.

“We are aware of the situation,” a Breeders’ Cup spokesperson said. “If they are delayed taking off and it means arriving in California past noon deadline, then we [will] have our BC investigators meet the plane when it lands and escort the [horse] vans to the track. No penalties will be incurred.”

* When the Breeders’ Cup was first run at Hollywood Park in 1984, there was a conscious effort to lure and promote the celebrities attending the races. That concept faded over the years, but now the Breeders’ Cup is going back to those basics by honoring eight celebrity racing fans and horse owners as “Breeders’ Cup Ambassadors” in the inaugural year of a new program.

These Ambassadors will receive rewards such as concierge service and tickets, while helping to promote the Breeders’ Cup.

The honorees include former Yankees manager and current MLB executive vice president Joe Torre (part-owner of Breeders’ Cup Classic favorite Game On Dude), basketball coach Rick Pitino and Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker, celebrity chef Bobby Flay, actress Bo Derek, actress Elizabeth Banks, country singer-songwriter Toby Keith and sports radio talk show host Jim Rome.