Will weather play a factor in the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes?

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The 158th running of the Belmont Stakes is set to run on Saturday at 7:04 p.m. in Saratoga Springs, New York. 

How will weather play an impact in this year's race?

SUMMER-LIKE TEMPERATURES TO SURGE ACROSS THE NORTHEAST BEFORE WEEKEND THUNDERSTORMS USHER IN A COOLDOWN

While jockeys, horses and sports fans are looking forward to the running of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, weather conditions could dampen the evening at the Saratoga Race Track.

According to the FOX Forecast Center, the Risk Of Weather Impact (ROWI) is a medium – at race time, the temperature is forecast to be a crisp 77 degrees, with wind gusts up to 10 mph.

WHAT IS FOX WEATHER'S 'ROWI'?

Current forecasts suggest the weather could come down to the wire for the Belmont Stakes, with scattered thunderstorms remaining a possibility near post time.

High levels of precipitation may just make it a sloppy race with a muddy finish, while the wind and temperature will be much less impactful for jockeys and horses.

With the New York Racing Authority running a tight rain or shine policy, the only way the race will get canceled is if the weather poses a direct danger to horse or jockey safety.

CAN CONCERTS AND SPORTING EVENTS CAUSE EARTHQUAKES?

As with so many things, weather is a determinant factor in how a horse race is going to play out by determining track conditions, horse performance and race outcomes.

Rain makes for muddy conditions, sunny weather creates dry conditions, cold weather can produce firmer, faster tracks and hot weather can lead to harder surfaces and greater stamina demands—with different horses and jockeys favoring and racing in different ways given the weather when they are loaded into the starting gate.

With ongoing renovations at Belmont Park, the race's traditional home, this year's event is being held at Saratoga Race Course, a historic 1.25-mile dirt track where forecasted rainfall could leave the surface muddy by race time.

But in Saratoga, racing through the mud is nothing new.

KNOW YOUR FLOOD TERMINOLOGY: WHAT FLOOD WATCHES, WARNINGS AND EMERGENCIES REALLY MEAN

Just last year, rain threatened Saratoga Race Course ahead of the Belmont Stakes, but the track dried sufficiently by post time. The conditions mattered little to Sovereignty, as Junior Alvarado guided the horse to a decisive three-length victory.

While weather conditions at post time remain uncertain, rain remains a factor worth watching heading into Saturday's Belmont Stakes.

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

Whether enough precipitation falls to turn Saratoga's dirt track muddy and potentially reshape the race remains one of the biggest questions surrounding the iconic horse race.