With no trips to the races it's business as usual and busier than ever on the Newmarket gallops

Strike or no strike, there is no rest for those in racing on Wednesday – as was very much apparent on the Newmarket training grounds early in the morning.

Indeed, it was noticeably busier compared to the usual, both with extra horses and humans.

The busiest site was the Limekilns, where some of the horses who would normally have been racing at either of the three cancelled Flat meetings at Lingfield, Carlisle and Kempton were instead being put through their paces at home.

• Why is there no racing in Britain on Wednesday? The 'strike' explained 

Then there was also the presence of many more travelling head lads than usual thrown into the mix, given they had no early-morning trips to the races to prepare for.

One of the early risers was James Fanshawe, who was out before 6am checking the ground on the short gallop.

He said of the landmark day: “It’s very much business as usual for us but with more people in the yard as they’re not going racing, which has allowed us time to do little jobs like cleaning bridles. Otherwise, we have been able to continue to prepare for the Henry Cecil Open Weekend in ten days’ time. Looking at the bigger picture, however, we hope that having no racing today gets us noticed.”

James Fanshawe: 'We hope that having no racing today gets us noticed'Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Barry O’Dowd, assistant to John and Thady Gosden, was another early bird. He said of the situation at Clarehaven Stables: “We have more staff in the yard this morning as no-one is going racing and no transport to organise. Our travelling head lad Andy Stringer is finding other jobs to do around the place which is keeping him busy.”

William Haggas was out exercising some of his two-year-olds on the Limekilns just after 6am just as he had the previous day. He said: “We’re pretty much the same today as every day really, except no-one is going racing this morning.”

Not that travelling staff will get much of a break, as Haggas pointed out the runners for Newcastle and Doncaster on Thursday would already be setting off during the afternoon, when Charlie Fellowes will be among the racing delegation heading to Westminster as part of the protest.

“The main difference today is that I’ll be wearing a suit to go to Westminster rather than to the races,” he said.

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