ABSTRACT:

Mother Nature smacked Aqueduct for the second time in a week yesterday when racing was canceled shortly before the first race because of unsafe track conditions resulting from Friday’s snowstorm. The Big A previously closed last Sunday because of heavy rain.

The problem was caused by the combination of moisture in the winterized inner dirt track and colder-than-expected weather. The track was sealed Friday night to keep out the rain and when the temperature, which was expected to rise into the 40s, stayed near freezing, frozen, rock-like clumps of dirt developed in the surface.