Cheshire racing community rallying round after equine flu outbreak

Community spirit often shines through in times of crisis. In Cheshire, the close-knit racing population has come together to rally round one of its own after powerhouse trainer Donald McCain found himself at the centre of the equine flu scare that has British racing in its grip.

Three of the four yards in the Malpas area have been shut down, including that of dual-purpose trainer Oliver Greenall, who is in the process of swabbing his 36-strong team.

"We're pretty vigilant with disinfecting anyway and we've put the two who ran at Ayr straight into isolation in a separate barn as they can't even share the same air space because it's airborne," he says.