Once again, the Mountain State is impacted by COVID-19. Recently, the West Virginia Racing Commission confirmed the cancelation of the $500,000 West Virginia Derby.
The annual event is held at the Mountaineer Casino. This year’s running was scheduled for August 1.
Along with the derby, the $200,000 WV Governor’s Stakes was also canceled. The event was planning to run on the same date.
Mountaineer Park had intentions of holding the races without any fans in attendance. However, fears continued to grow in regards to welcoming in teams from other states.
With every horse coming equipped with an owner, trainer, and jockey, among others, there’s too much risk. Since there is no safety plan in place, the commission felt the best move was to cancel.
Commission executive director, Joe Moore, put it simply. According to the Charleston Gazette-Mail, Moore said:
“This is, in large part, due to concerns over COVID-19 restrictions.”
Another factor was the fact that the national racing schedule got moved around so much.
All three Triple Crown races were forced to change their regular plans.
