Definition of Abandoned Race

What does the term "abandoned race" mean in the world of horse racing? What is meant by an "Abandoned race"?

In horse racing, an "abandoned" race is a race that is "closed" or cancelled, usually as the result of bad weather.

For instance, if a race is being run on turf and there is torrential rain, the course might get flood, making it unsuitable for a race.

In this case, the race would likely be "abandoned".

Due to scheduling conflicts, races are usually just cancelled in this case, versus being rescheduled.

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Races that are run in the winter in the United Kingdom, as an example, are quite often "abandoned" due to wet, rainy conditions.

In some cases, frost and snow will cause races to be abandoned as well.

Races can be abandoned for other races as well, including but not limited to:

-outbreak of illness amongst the horses
-geopolitical turmoil in the host country of the race