Precautionary measure sees 12 horses withdrawn as racing returns to Britain

A total of 12 horses were declared non-runners for today's four British race meetings as a precaution, with the BHA and Animal Health Trust working "around the clock" to narrow down the number of yards which remain in the "at risk" category from equine flu.

The BHA has pledged to work with trainers whose horses were deemed ineligible to run on Wednesday – a statement cited the authority not receiving notification in time that a horse or yard is free of the equine influenza flu virus – to establish what steps need to be taken to establish "cleared status".

Clearance will be given collectively to the group of trainers currently in lockdown after having runners at Ayr on the same day as a horse of Donald McCain's which subsequently tested positive for equine flu, rather than as each yard is deemed to be clear.

David Sykes: 'The controls that we have put in place were deemed as necessary to avoid unnecessary risk of spreading the virus and were a pre-requisite in the decision to allow racing to return'

The BHA has also announced that the temporary declaration procedures put in place for the resumption of racing on Wednesday will be lifted, with trainers able to declare runners on Thursday morning for Friday's jumps fixtures at Sandown and Fakenham, as well as the Flat cards on both Friday and Saturday.

The BHA's director of equine health and welfare, David Sykes, said: "The teams at the BHA and AHT are working round the clock to analyse tests and clear horses to run. The controls that we have put in place were deemed as necessary to avoid unnecessary risk of spreading the virus and were a pre-requisite in the decision to allow racing to return. Without these measures, and the new six-month vaccination rule, we would not have been able to resume racing today.

"We appreciate that this means some trainers will miss out in the very short term, but the only alternative would have been to keep the entire sport on hold.

"We are working swiftly to get test results processed and clear trainers to run. We're grateful for the patience and understanding our trainers are showing for this essential process."

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