Racing brought forward as tracks prepare for a Thursday scorcher

As Britain prepares for potentially its hottest day on record, with a high of 39C possible for London, racing has taken a wide range of precautions to make life as comfortable as possible for its equine participants.

The five tracks which stage racing in Britain on Thursday have made provisions for extra water and staff, while Southwell’s jumps meeting will start at an earlier time of 11.25am, with the final race at 2.30pm.

The decision by the BHA to bring the card forward was taken on Wednesday morning in conjunction with Arena Racing Company, owners of Southwell.

Paul Johnson, head of racing at the BHA, said: “We are grateful for the understanding of trainers, jockeys, owners and stable staff regarding the change of start time for this fixture.

“The welfare of all our participants must come first and, as the only jump fixture on a day when temperatures are due to get very high, we have taken this precautionary step in the interests of the health and wellbeing of our horses.”

A spokeswoman for the Met Office confirmed that starting Southwell’s card at the earlier time was a common sense move when temperatures would be lower than during mid-afternoon.

“Temperatures normally peak at around 3pm to 4pm,” she said. “They will be slightly cooler or less warm when the Southwell meeting takes place.”

Southwell clerk of the course Paul Barker, who expects mid-afternoon highs of 32C, said: "We have an additional vet on duty and support staff for washing horses down in the stableyard, as they come off the track and in around the winner's enclosure and unsaddling area, while we've put two marquees up to offer some shaded areas for the horses before and after racing.

On the jumps track at Southwell where racing takes place this eveningCredit: Alex Livesey (Getty Images)

“There is additional water everywhere for cooling horses and drinking water for stable staff in the weighing room and stable area.

“We didn’t have any problems at our jumps meeting on Tuesday night. The plan is to replicate what happened then.”

Sandown and Yarmouth also host afternoon action, while Newbury and Doncaster race in the evening.

Daniel Cooper, raceday clerk at Sandown, where temperatures could peak in the low to mid 30s according to the Met Office, said: “There will be plentiful supplies of water in buckets and troughs, with ice also available.

“We’ll constantly review things throughout the afternoon, but we’ve responded to the forecast and are well prepared.”

Richard Aldous, Yarmouth’s clerk, said: “We’re hoping the cooling sea breeze will continue. It’s quite pleasant here at the moment, but we’ve plenty of water, ice and extra staff as a precaution.”

Newbury’s meeting starts at 4.55pm, and clerk Keith Ottesen said: “We’ve made enquiries about horses with previous heat-stress issues and none have been declared at the meeting.

“We’ll have enhanced hydration points, water troughs, and increased veterinary cover. Basically we’ll have more personnel to aid the racing staff in the cooling of horses.

“We’re also aware that the unsaddling area can get very hot, so it will be regularly hosed down to keep things as cool as possible.”

Doncaster racecourse: hosted the amateur riders' handicap featuring Becky Brisbourne and BelabourCredit: Edward Whitaker

Doncaster’s meeting starts at 5.45pm, and clerk Roderick Duncan said: “We’ll have additional water supplies and additional staff to help with the watering down of horses after their races.”

David Sykes, director of equine health and welfare at the BHA, said: “Thoroughbred horses are adapted to running in hot temperatures, and racing takes place in countries like Australia, Dubai and the USA in hotter temperatures than in Great Britain.

“As an industry we have experience dealing with these conditions and take precautionary measures when the temperatures rise, for the benefit of both human and equine participants.

“For example, racecourses are instructed to increase the provision of cool water and ice with plenty of staff to help distribute it, areas of shade and earlier access to stables, and trainers are advised to travel their horses early with plenty of water and keep them cool before and after racing.

“Every racecourse is inspected prior to racing to ensure that the hot weather provisions are sufficient or ascertain where they may be further enhanced.”

David Sykes: director of equine health and welfare at the BHA

He added: “Veterinary teams and racecourse staff are all on hand to provide care for horses before and after they have competed, and they are constantly looking out for any horses who show any signs of not coping with the heat before or after they race.

“The welfare of our participants always comes first and – should there be any concern regarding the effect of the weather on the horses or jockeys – the BHA has the ability to take action to ensure their welfare is protected.

"This might include cancelling or delaying specific races if required, or even calling off a fixture if the evidence shows that there is too great a risk to horses’ health to carry on.”

If you were interested in this you should also read:

Racing prepares for sweltering midweek temperatures but rain possible at Ascot

Meetings on the move but horse transport restricted as temperatures soar

Keeping the winter chills at bay: how jockeys (and horses) beat the cold

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