“Having grown up in Puerto Rico, these days are normal for me,” Carrasco said. “A day like today is just another normal day in Puerto Rico. But every morning I go running in a sauna suit so I’m used to the heat and getting sweaty. But you have to stay hydrated and drink lots of water. You’re going to get hot and tired, but as long as you keep drinking plenty of water it’s okay.”

Horacio Karamanos, who guided Super Accelerate to a determined tally in the $75,000 Star De Naskra Stakes for Maryland-bred three-year-olds, agreed on the importance of agua.

“There’s one thing you need today: water, water, water,” Karamanos said. “In the morning it wasn’t too bad, but that’s when you have to stay hydrated, Then in the afternoon when it gets warmer you just have to drink more water. I think the track’s done a good job today of keeping the horses cool and making sure everyone has plenty of water.”

Many had expected Laurel to join tracks north and south in canceling today. But in a Friday announcement, track officials outlined several protocols it followed to allay any problems.

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Those included “stationing an additional Veterinarian along the backstretch and expanding our staff to assist in hosing down the horses after each race,” the company said via text message. “We will also have ice buckets and sponges readily available as well.”

For the most part the precautions seemed to work. One horse, De Francis Dash winner Lightening Larry, was vanned off, as a precaution, seemingly from a combination of the heat and returning from the race “a bit sore,” according to the chart.

Trainer William Earl Atkins, who saddled Tiz No Clown in the Star De Naskra, acknowledged the importance of hydration during the summer months.

“I keep all of my horses on plenty of electrolytes during the summer,” Atkins said. “They have to stay hydrated. When it gets hot like this you have to take extra precautions. But even today there has been a little bit of a breeze at times and that always helps. It’s not as bad as [Friday].”

Trainer Robin Graham, who saddled Super Accelerate to a determined victory in the $75,000 Star De Naskra Stakes for Maryland-bred three-year-olds, noted that she has taken a number of precautions with her runners amid the extended heat wave.

“We’ve been training him late, and he goes out a little before nine every day because we figured July and August is going to have to be hot,” Graham said. “So, we’ve been purposely training him late. I know a lot of these poor horses go out at 5:30 which is great for them every day, but on race day it’s different, so it wasn’t as much of a shock to the system.”

Trainer Marya Montoya, who sent out Talk to the Judge to a 13-1 upset in the $75,000 Miss Disco Stakes for Maryland-bred three-year-old fillies, expected the conditions to be similar to those the sophomore filly had already experienced.

“The only reason we came today was we ran her at Monmouth Park and it was hot and she didn’t turn a hair, which is very rare,” Montoya said. “So, when she shipped here, we weren’t decided we were going to run. I said, tell me how she is when she gets off the van; if she’s washed, out think about this twice. I liked that there was a breeze. I went to see her before the race – she was calm and cool.”