Breeders' Cup Saturday Could Be a Wet One

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With showers forecast for Oceanport, N.J., on Saturday, the weather could be a factor on the second day of the Oct. 26-27 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Monmouth Park.

According to the Weather Channel Web site, weather.com, showers are possible Saturday, with a high temperature in the upper 60s and lows in the mid-50s. On Friday, when the three new Breeders’ Cup races will be part of the race card, the forecast is for partly cloudy skies with the same high and low temperature ranges as Saturday.

For the entire week, the best chance of showers is Tuesday, Oct. 23, where there is a 60% chance of during the day and evening. Tuesday will also be a windy day, with wind speeds forecast from 10-25 miles per hour.

Because Monmouth’s main track is a traditional dirt surface, rain could result in a track labeled "good," "sloppy," "muddy" or in some cases, "wet fast." Some horses do not perform well on “off” tracks, while others have an affinity for them.

Rain also has an affect on the grass races; the condition of the course will be indicated by the terms “good,", “soft," or “yielding.” Europeans horses generally have more experience on such surfaces because of the weather pattern in Europe and the higher percentage of races run on the grass.

Click here to see the Weather Channel forecast.

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