Horse racing cancelled in the UK

An equine flu outbreak has forced authorities to cancel horse racing during the weekend.

UK.- The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) decided last week to cancel horse racing in the country after three vaccinated horses in active racing yard tested positive for the disease on Wednesday.

A statement from Donald McCain through the National Trainers’ Federation explained that due to a recent outbreak of equine influenza in France and Ireland, he had been concerned about the health status of a small number of horses in the yard.

“Whilst no further positive tests have been received, at least three more days are required before it will be possible to make a decision about whether it is safe to resume racing,” a statement said on Friday.

“The BHA has worked quickly to identify which yards could have potentially been exposed today and identify the further actions required. The BHA is presently communicating with yards potentially exposed to ensure appropriate quarantine and biosecurity measures are put in place and horse movements restricted to avoid possible further spread of the disease.”