Korea Racing Authority will simultaneously close Let's Run Park Seoul, Busan-Gyeongnam and Jeju from July 31 through Aug. 2 out of concern for the safety and health of racehorses and racing personnel during the peak summer heat, the authority announced Saturday.
No races will be held during the closure, and all race-related facilities will suspend operations. Racing resumes Aug. 7, and starting that day, night races will be held every Friday and Saturday through Sept. 6 — a roughly five-week stretch. The schedule aims to reduce heat exposure for horses and racing staff while giving customers a different way to enjoy the races away from the daytime heat.
On Aug. 17, a public holiday Monday race card will be held at Let's Run Park Seoul and Jeju. Seoul will run 11 races that day, while Jeju will hold five.
The authority will also temporarily adjust its hot-weather race-day standards through Aug. 30. Horses will enter the paddock and proceed to the track five minutes and two minutes later than usual, respectively, and the authority is expanding the threshold under which jockeys may mount in the below-ground horse tunnel rather than the paddock — from a 25-minute race interval to 30 minutes.
The measures are intended to ensure jockeys and staff have adequate time to rest and hydrate between races while minimizing heat exposure for the horses.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
