The fixture at Ffos Las will now take place on the afternoon of Monday 29 June, with Kempton Park rescheduled for Monday evening. Entries for these fixtures will close at midday on Tuesday 23 June.

The meeting at Salisbury will now take place on the afternoon of Tuesday 30 June, with entries closing at midday on Wednesday 24 June.

The race programme and prize money at all three fixtures will remain the same as the originally scheduled cards. Our thanks to the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) for its contribution to the funding of prize money at these fixtures.

In addition, Thursday’s fixtures at Nottingham and Newmarket – both of which are located in amber alert zones – will now take place earlier to avoid racing during the hottest part of the day:

• Nottingham’s fixture will begin at 10:30am, with the last race taking place at 1pm
• Newmarket’s fixture will start at 10:45am with the final race at 1:15pm. The 2m Dereham Handicap will be rescheduled for the following day, Friday 26 June.

The »ÆÉ«²Ö¿â will continue to liaise with racecourses hosting fixtures in amber warning zones this week to consider any further mitigations that may be needed, in line with the industry’s 

Each fixture will be managed on a case-by-case basis, with several factors considered according to the local weather forecast and environmental conditions.

Trainers are advised that horses should not be moved from or through any areas where red heat warnings are in place.

Notes to editors:

1. For further information on these changes please contact the »ÆÉ«²Ö¿â Racing Department on 0207 152 0050 or via racing@britishhorseracing.com.

This follows the Met Office a red extreme heat warning for parts the Midlands and southern England and Wales from 9am on Wednesday 24 June to 9pm on Thursday 25 June.

Three of the affected courses fall within the red warning zone, with Ffos Las located just outside but requiring travel through the high-risk zone to reach the racecourse.

The »ÆÉ«²Ö¿â’s states that where racecourses fall within a red warning zone, the fixture will be abandoned. In addition, horses must not be travelled from or through areas that have red warnings in place.

The decision to abandon the fixtures has been taken in conjunction with the racecourses with a view to mitigating any risk to the health and wellbeing of equine and human participants.

The »ÆÉ«²Ö¿â will continue to liaise with racecourses hosting fixtures in amber warning zones this week to consider any further mitigations that may be needed, in line with the »ÆÉ«²Ö¿â’s

Each fixture will be managed on a case-by-case basis, with several factors considered according to the local weather forecast and environmental conditions.

Trainers are reminded that horses should not be moved from or through any areas where red heat warnings are in place.

Further updates to be issued where necessary.

With temperatures set to peak later in the day, the fixture will now begin at 10:30 instead of 14:39. Races will be held at 30-minute intervals, with the final race taking place at 13:00 instead of 17:17.

Only one race at the fixture will be permitted to divide (down from two), and if there is a division the additional race will be held at 10:00.

The running order has also been adjusted to allow the longer races to take place earlier in the card.

The decision to move this fixture earlier in the day has been made in conjunction with Worcester to support the welfare of all equine and human participants.

The »ÆÉ«²Ö¿â will continue to liaise with racecourses hosting fixtures in the coming days to consider any mitigations that may be necessary to reduce the risk of heat stress to horses and humans servicing the fixture in accordance with the .

Each fixture will be managed on a case-by-case basis, considering several factors including the local weather forecast.

Further updates to fixtures taking place this week will be issued as necessary in due course.

The fixture will be run as a seven-race card with a total prize fund of £65,000.

This follows the Jockey Club’s announcement earlier this week that Haydock’s next four fixtures have been abandoned, one of which was scheduled on this date.

Haydock’s other three fixtures have already been transferred to the following venues:

• Saturday 20 June – Nottingham
• Thursday 2 July – Nottingham
• Saturday 4 July – Newmarket

The »ÆÉ«²Ö¿â is grateful to the Horserace Betting Levy Board for its contribution to the funding of prize money for this additional meeting, and to Chepstow for agreeing to host.

The seven-furlong contest was originally scheduled to take place at Chelmsford City on Sunday 5 July. As announced last week, that fixture will no longer go ahead at Chelmsford, which meant a new venue was required for the Queen Charlotte.

The »ÆÉ«²Ö¿â is grateful to Chester for agreeing to host the race alongside their existing card, and to the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) for their contribution to the total prize fund, which remains at £60,000.

The fixture on Thursday 18 June has moved to Yarmouth, while the following meeting on Sunday 5 July will be held at Southwell.

The race programme for the fixture on 18 June will remain the same. There will be the following tweaks to the programme on 5 July:

• The Queen Charlotte Fillies’ Stakes (Listed) will be replaced with a 1m 3yo Class 5 Handicap
• The 4yo+ Class 4 1m 2f Handicap will now be staged over 1m 3f
• The 3yo+ Class 5 1m 5f 66y Handicap will now be staged over 1m 6f

A new date and venue for the Queen Charlotte will be confirmed next week.

Golden Mile Racing Limited (GMRL), the new company formed to operate CCR, is not currently licensed by the »ÆÉ«²Ö¿â to stage any fixture. This means that no further fixtures will be staged at CCR pending the outcome of any appeal process.

The »ÆÉ«²Ö¿â’s racing department will continue to work with the National Trainers Federation, trainers, owners and other stakeholders to provide sufficient opportunities for horses within the race programme.

On Friday, Wolverhampton will host a six-race card, with the ability to divide to eight. Entries will close at 12 noon tomorrow (Wednesday 27 May), with declarations to be made by 10am on Thursday 28 May. As a result of this additional fixture, the jockey booking deadline for Friday’s fixtures will be extended by 24 hours.

Carlisle will stage an eight-race card on Saturday, which includes the rescheduling of the Silver Bowl from Haydock’s fixture on 23 May. The Silver Bowl will retain the same prize money and will be one of five races from Carlisle to be shown on ITV Racing.

Except for the addition of the Silver Bowl and some minor distance changes (detailed below), the race programme at Carlisle will mirror Haydock’s originally scheduled card on Saturday. Entries will close at 12 noon tomorrow, with declarations to be made by 10am on Thursday.

Betway are retaining sponsorship of all of Saturday’s races and in addition, are expanding their support to sponsor the Silver Bowl.

The distance changes will be as follows:

• THE BETWAY HANDICAP STAKES (CLASS 2) will now be staged over 1m 3f 39y (previously 1m 3f 175y)
• THE BETWAY LESTER PIGGOTT FILLIES’ STAKES (CLASS 1) (Group 3) will now be staged over 1m 3f 39y (previously 1m 3f 175y)

This will allow Brighton further time for their turf to recover following the discovery of issues with the track last month, which meant they were unable to run their opening four fixtures of the season.

The »ÆÉ«²Ö¿â Course Inspectorate has approved the transfer of their next two fixtures following a full turf disease report and investigation works carried out since 17 April, which confirmed infestation of nematodes and leather jackets causing the damage and issues with the turf.

Further time is needed to allow the treatment to the relevant areas to progress enough for the track to be deemed raceable, and an update regarding their fixture on Friday 29 May will be made by the middle of next week, confirming whether or not sufficient improvement has taken place or not.

Jack Hastings, Clerk of the Course at Brighton, said:

“Following discussions with our independent agronomist and further track inspections, we have concluded that the track is not yet fully recovered in affected localised areas.  This is despite the positive impact of the ongoing remedial works carried out so far, and which have brought about significant improvement.

“Over the past four weeks the entire groundstaff have been working non-stop to address damage caused by a mixture of leatherjackets and nematodes.  This was despite our usual pre-season preventative measures, which have been successful previously. The track remedial works since have included scarification, slitting, overseeding, regular watering, cutting and the application of a plant-based substance to help overcome the issue. This has all been in line with the detailed programme we agreed with our highly experienced agronomist.

“We are committed to delivering a high-quality racing surface, working closely with our agronomist and grounds team to carry out the comprehensive recovery plan for the track. Brighton Racecourse looks forward to welcoming everyone back, once the track is restored to the excellent standards our participants and visitors expect and deserve.

“Safety and the welfare of the participants – equine and human – remains our absolute priority. We sincerely apologise to all racegoers, stakeholders, sponsors and partners who have been affected by this decision. We are aiming to start our season on Friday 29 May and further updates will be provided as soon as they are available.â€�

The race programmes at both transferred fixtures will mirror the originally scheduled cards except for the two 7f races on 26 May which cannot be run at Bath. They will be staged over 5f 160y (4yo+ Class 5 Handicap) and 1m (3yo Class 6 Handicap).

This follows a confirmed case of equine influenza and EHV-4 in an unvaccinated non-thoroughbred horse based on a livery yard immediately adjacent to the racecourse.

Equine influenza is highly contagious respiratory disease and can be airborne over reasonable distances and transmitted indirectly to horses, including via people.

The »ÆÉ«²Ö¿â has been working with Plumpton Racecourse and its veterinary team, the livery yard and independent infectious disease experts to monitor the horses and determine the level of risk.

The infected horse, which is isolated on the livery yard, has been tested again and is still actively shedding the virus. At present, no other horses are showing signs of infection.

The cancellation of Sunday’s fixture is therefore a precautionary measure given the very close proximity of the livery yard to the racecourse and particularly the stable area.

This decision has been taken with the unanimous support of the »ÆÉ«²Ö¿â’s independent veterinary group, with a view to restricting the risk of the spread of the disease to the thoroughbred racing herd.

The »ÆÉ«²Ö¿â will now liaise with Plumpton Racecourse to consider whether there is any feasibility for the fixture being rearranged. This will be informed by an ongoing assessment of the level of risk to the horse population and the availability of other opportunities within the wider race programme.

»ÆÉ«²Ö¿â director of Equine Regulation, Safety and Welfare, James Given, said:

“Equine flu is highly contagious and can spread rapidly among horses, including through the air and over a widespread distance, which is why it is essential we take appropriate steps to minimise any risk of onward transmission. 

“We appreciate that this news will be disappointing for the racecourse, participants and racegoers, but with a confirmed case in the immediate vicinity and the horse actively shedding the virus, this is a sensible precautionary step to protect individual horses and the wider thoroughbred herd from potential exposure.

“We have also seen a significant recent rise in the number of equine flu outbreaks across the country, in the non-thoroughbred herd. I urge trainers and teams to remain vigilant in their own biosecurity measures and being alert to the signs of infection.� 

The »ÆÉ«²Ö¿â recently published updated information for racehorse trainers and racing vets to make them aware about several outbreaks of equine influenza across the UK. These cases, which are being reported via the Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance (EIDS) , are in the non-thoroughbred herd but with some occurring in vaccinated horses.

There have been no reported cases or clinical signs of infection within licensed training yards, but we continue to advise extra caution around biosecurity measures to ensure the best possible protection for thoroughbred racehorses.

This includes exercising appropriate vigilance around the movement of horses to and from yards and isolating any new horses entering yards for a period of 14 days and monitoring rectal temperatures of all horses daily.

Trainers and teams should also be alert to the signs of the virus, which include a raised temperature, harsh cough or nasal discharge. Any horse showing these signs should be immediately assessed by a veterinary surgeon.

All horses running in Britain must be vaccinated in line with the , with booster vaccinations administered at intervals of no more than six months apart. Vaccinations do not always prevent infection but can significantly reduce the severity of infection and the level of viral transmission.

The fixture on Thursday 21 May will be moved to Southwell, while the following meeting on Thursday 4 June will be run on the all-weather at Lingfield Park.

The race programmes at both fixtures will mirror the originally scheduled cards except from the Amateur Riders’ race on 21 May, which will now be run over 1m 3f instead of 1m 2f, and the 5f Class 6 on 4 June which will no longer have the Apprentice Rider conditions.

CCR also had a fixture scheduled on Thursday 14 May which was abandoned. Two races from that fixture have been rescheduled elsewhere:

• The 6f 2yo Class 4 Novice will be run at Newmarket on Friday 15 May
• The 1m 3yo Class 4 Fillies’ Handicap (66-85) will be run at Wolverhampton (over 1m 142y) on Monday 18 May

Golden Mile Racing Limited (GMRL), the new company formed to operate CCR, is not currently licensed by the »ÆÉ«²Ö¿â to stage any fixture. This means that no further fixtures will be staged at CCR pending the outcome of any appeal process.

The »ÆÉ«²Ö¿â’s racing department will continue to work with the National Trainers Federation, trainers, owners and other stakeholders to provide sufficient opportunities for horses within the race programme, as is the case with the fixtures that have been rescheduled today.