Historic cold blast has horsemen hoping for the best
Ted Black
February 1, 2026
In the midst of a historic polar vortex that canceled live racing at Charles Town for all four nights last week and could last for another two weeks, local trainers are seeking to make the best of things.
Trainers Ronney Brown, Javier Contreras, and Stacey Viands are accustomed to the chilly conditions that arrive each winter in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, but those atmospheric changes are typically modest and brief. This year those three conditioners, as well as their counterparts in neighboring barns and the men and women they entrust to ride, are forced to brave the elements for an extended period of time.
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“I was listening to one of the forecasters the other day and he said this cold could be around through February 15,” said Viands, locally lauded for his work with West Virginia Breeders’ Classics winners Parisian Diva and Time To Rock. “I don’t remember seeing anything like it before. But I think the horses adapt to it pretty well. All mine have their winter coats and they have a blanket. The main thing is to keep all the barn doors shut tight and provide a little extra straw for their bedding.”
Likewise, Brown, who along with wife Nicole captured the owners’ title at Charles Town for a second straight year in 2025, suggests that horses’s natural insulation does most of the work, though some added warmth is never a bad idea.
“The horses actually do better in the cold than a lot of people,” Brown said. “The key is making sure they can get to the track every day, and the track has been great. The horses get out from 9-12 each day, which is a little later than normal. But it gives everyone time to get the water buckets thawed out and make sure the horses get fed. All of mine have their winter coats and they have their normal blankets. They really don’t need too much more than that. But it’s tough not being able to race. On Saturday morning it was minus four degrees at my farm. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
Contreras, who arose on the scene with talented runners Hidden Canyon and Amherst Street and then later with the multiple graded stakes-winning filly Late Night Pow Wow, agreed with his fellow conditioners that the horses have gradually adapted to the bone-chilling conditions. Although Saturday afternoon’s moved-up card was canceled when the jockeys refused to ride, Contreras could hardly fault the riders for opting out.
“Listen, it’s just too cold for anyone to be outside for an extended period of time,” Contreras said. “I usually stand at the fence with a winter coast, hat, gloves and it’s still too cold. The jockeys don’t have any added protection from the elements. I can’t blame them for not riding. The horses are fine. They have their winter coats and they each have a blanket. Maybe a little extra straw in their beds is needed to make sure they sleep comfortably. But none of them are actually shivering. They probably do better in the winter when it’s very cold than in the summer when it’s extremely hot.”
Charles Town is scheduled to resume live racing this Wednesday and Thursday with nine-race cards each night. While the forecasted highs are expected to be near or slightly above freezing, the nighttime lows could be quite a bit lower, and that might be a problem.
“It’s okay during the day when it’s sunny,” Brown said. “I mean, it’s still very cold. But at night when the temperature drops into the teens, I don’t think the jockeys will be willing to ride. They don’t have too many allowances for extra clothes, maybe three pounds. I don’t know if we’ll be able to race this week or even next week. This cold weather might be around another two weeks. There’s really nothing you can do about it.”
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