Charles Town delays Saturday post due to extreme heat

Charles Town has pushed back its first post time for Saturday to 7:30 p.m. EDT as a result of the extreme heat impacting much of the mid-Atlantic region.

With a heat advisory in effect through 7 p.m. EDT on Saturday, the decision was made in consultation with state racing officials and horsemen and women in the interest of safety.

According to the National Weather Service, the high in Charles Town, W.Va. is expected to reach 98 on Saturday with heat indices up to 104. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible, mainly between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. EDT. The overnight low is expected to drop to 73.

The Saturday card at Charles Town includes eight races. The richest on the card is a seven-furlong, non-conditioned allowance for 3-year-olds and up with a $31,300 purse. The 8-5 morning-line favorite in the field of six is O’Conner Sunset, a son of Curlin who has won three allowance-level races in a row and four of his last five.

Other major names in the race include Social Chic, a stakes winner who was most recently second in the Confucius Say Stakes on April 20 at Charles Town, and the Grade 2-placed mainstay Muad’dib, a 16-time winner who was most recently third in the Confucius Say.