Why talk of coronavirus threat to Cheltenham Festival feels wildly premature
A year on from the equine flu outbreak that shut down racing in Britain for a week, some have speculated that next month's Cheltenham Festival might yet face a more legitimate threat due to the spread of the coronavirus.
When the details emerged in the middle of February 2019 about a limited number of confirmed equine flu cases, this column argued the BHA's unilateral response smacked of a knee-jerk overreaction that illustrated a lamentable misunderstanding of a virus that is endemic in the horse community in this part of the world.
The Irish Equine Centre, the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board, the French authorities and Peter Ramzan of Rossdales veterinary practice in Newmarket were among those who relayed a far more judicious and informed message in sync with those who were accustomed to handling equine flu outbreaks on the ground.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on inComment
Last updated
Copy- We know that times are tight - but racecourses really do need to step up and improve outdated weighing rooms
- The budget has heaped even more trouble on racing - and I fear many trainers will now decide the numbers just don't add up
- Why I think Cheltenham Festival handicaps need to change - JP McManus writes exclusively for the Racing Post
- No-one has ever emerged from the womb wearing a trilby - racing's future survival hangs on pursuing a young audience
- Four score and ten just a number to Peter Harris as July Cup triumph shows there's more to the elderly than medical conditions
- We know that times are tight - but racecourses really do need to step up and improve outdated weighing rooms
- The budget has heaped even more trouble on racing - and I fear many trainers will now decide the numbers just don't add up
- Why I think Cheltenham Festival handicaps need to change - JP McManus writes exclusively for the Racing Post
- No-one has ever emerged from the womb wearing a trilby - racing's future survival hangs on pursuing a young audience
- Four score and ten just a number to Peter Harris as July Cup triumph shows there's more to the elderly than medical conditions