Late Thursday, the British Horseracing Authority said racing "will not resume in Britain until Wednesday at the earliest," according to the BBC. In a statement, the BHA said, "This precautionary approach is intended to ensure we put the health of the horse population and control of the virus first, and avoid any unnecessary risk that might come from returning to racing too quickly. We appreciate the impact that this may have on the sport commercially, but disease control in order to mitigate the risk of further disruption to the sport -- and safeguard the health and welfare of our horses -- must be a priority" (BBC, 2/7).
SUDDEN CRISIS: In London, Chris Cook wrote British horse racing "was plunged into a sudden crisis on Wednesday night" as it emerged that three horses in an active yard, believed to be that of Donald McCain, "have tested positive for equine influenza, despite having been vaccinated against it." All four scheduled meetings in Britain on Thursday were "summarily" canceled as the British Horseracing Authority "moved hastily to try to contain the outbreak." Alarmingly, the BHA confirmed that the affected stable "had runners at Ayr and Ludlow on Wednesday, where they were in close proximity to dozens of other horses from many racing stables." Peter Scudamore, partner to Lucinda Russell, who had runners at Ayr, said, "It’s extremely worrying. I’ve never known anything like this in all my time in racing." An outbreak of the "highly contagious respiratory disease" caused turmoil in Australian racing in '07, when all horse movements were banned nationwide for 72 hours, "a ban that continued in some areas for longer" (GUARDIAN, 2/7). In London, Paddy von Behr reported Gordon Elliott, the top trainer at the Cheltenham Festival last year, "isolated his five runners from Ayr" at another yard 10 to 15 miles from his stables in Co Meath, Ireland. Elliott: "The authorities have to take every precaution, which is understandable. We’ve been told it’s a million-to-one chance that it will impact our runners, but we’re not going to take any chances. We’ll leave them in quarantine as long as we have to." Horses that have contracted equine influenza "have a high fever, coughing, nasal discharge and sometimes swelling of the lymph nodes." The incubation period "is a matter of days but recovery for a racehorse typically takes a few weeks and could last up to six months" (LONDON TIMES, 2/7).
SERIOUS RAMIFICATIONS: In London, Marcus Townend reported should the results of a test on Thursday show the EI infection "has spread beyond the initial three horses, the ramifications start getting serious for the sport." There is a risk "cross-contamination should have occurred at Ayr and Ludlow and that could cause a major shutdown of the sport." One of the worst scenarios "would be the disruption of Cheltenham Festival, which starts on March 12" (DAILY MAIL, 2/7).
BIG BUSINESS: In London, Murad Ahmed reported the U.K. horse racing industry is worth an estimated £1.1B to the U.K. economy, according to a '13 study by Deloitte, "with thousands of people employed in the breeding of racehorses and involved in staging events." Horse racing is also the biggest betting sport in the U.K., generating wagers worth £9.1B in '17, according to Global Betting & Gaming Consultants. Shares in listed bookmakers fell, with William Hill, Paddy Power Betfair and GVC down more than 2% in early Thursday trading. William Hill senior exec Ciaran O'Brien said that the company "did not anticipate a large hit to its business" as a result of Thursday’s race cancellations. O'Brien: "It’s not ideal [but] it hasn’t had a significant impact" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 2/7). The BBC's Frank Keogh reported a decision on whether Friday and Saturday's fixtures -- at Newcastle and Southwell -- "can go ahead is not expected until Thursday evening." Wolverhampton Racecourse said that its meeting on Saturday "will not take place as a horse from the infected yard ran there this week and a deep clean has been ordered." Racing is not permitted for four days afterward. BHA Chief Regulatory Officer Brant Dunshea said that there "is a potential risk" that racing could be suspended for days or even weeks but added that a decision would not be made without "thinking through all the consequences" (BBC, 2/7).
