Four major UK race meetings have been cancelled after the Met Office issued a rare red weather warning for extreme heat. The fixtures at Kempton, Salisbury, Worcester, and Ffos Las, scheduled for Wednesday, were called off on Monday on welfare grounds due to the prospect of extreme heat across parts of Britain. Only the flat meeting at Carlisle remains unaffected, as the course sits outside the most severely impacted region.
Red warning prompts cancellations
On Sunday, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) had already taken precautionary measures by moving the start of the jumps meeting at Worcester on Wednesday forward to 10:30am, as the track fell within an Amber weather warning zone. However, on Monday the Met Office revised its guidance, upgrading the warning to red, indicating a risk to life across central and southern England and Wales on Wednesday and Thursday, with temperatures forecast to reach 38°C.
BHA explains decision
Announcing the abandonments, the BHA said: "This follows the Met Office issuing a red extreme heat warning for parts of 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 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 BHA added: "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."
Ongoing assessments
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, in line with its hot weather policy. 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 have been reminded that horses should not be moved from or through any areas where red heat warnings are in place.
