The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has cancelled four race meetings scheduled for Wednesday after the Met Office issued a rare red extreme heat warning for parts of central and southern England and Wales. The fixtures at Kempton, Salisbury, Worcester and Ffos Las were abandoned on Monday on welfare grounds due to the likelihood of dangerously high temperatures.
Only the Flat meeting at Carlisle survives, as the track is located outside the area worst affected by the heatwave. The Met Office upgraded its warning to red, indicating a risk to life, for Wednesday and Thursday, with temperatures predicted to surge to 38C.
BHA hot weather policy triggered
Announcing the abandonments, the BHA explained: "This follows the Met Office issuing 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, while Ffos Las is located just outside but requires travel through the high-risk zone to reach the racecourse.
The BHA's hot weather policy 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 was taken in conjunction with the racecourses to mitigate any risk to the health and wellbeing of equine and human participants.
Previous mitigations and ongoing assessments
On Sunday, the BHA had taken mitigating measures by bringing the start of the jumps meeting at Worcester on Wednesday to 10.30am, as the track was then in an area covered by an amber weather warning. However, the upgraded red warning necessitated the cancellations.
The BHA will continue to liaise with racecourses hosting fixtures in amber warning zones this week to consider any further mitigations that may be needed. 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.
