With the upcoming Christmas holiday weekend, Wheeling Island has announced several changes to the live racing schedule.

Live racing will remain the same on Friday matinee and evening, Dec. 23, with 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. post times, but there will be no live racing on Saturday, Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve) and Sunday, Dec. 25 (Christmas Day).

Simulcast will be available both days.

Live greyhound racing resumes on Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 27 with a 12:30 p.m. post time.

The following weekend, Wheeling Island plans a doubleheader of live racing on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31 – 13 races in the afternoon with a 1:30 p.m. post time and 17 races at night with a 7:30 p.m. start time.

There will be a change in the racing schedule when Wheeling Island kicks off the 2017 season.

The West Virginia Racing Commission recently approved the change which eliminates the evening cards on Friday and Saturday beginning in January. The length of the change is uncertain at this time. 

Only matinee performances will be held starting Jan. 1 – Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday – with 20 races on each card and a 12:30 p.m. post time. There will be 100 races a week, compared to 107 with the current schedule.

 Racing fans will be advised of any future changes in the schedule. Last year, the winter schedule lasted through February when the regular schedule returned – Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday matinee cards beginning at 12:30 p.m.; doubleheader days, Friday and Saturday, with matinee cards commencing at 12:30 p.m. with 15 races and the evening programs starting at 6:30 p.m. with 13 races.