Four New Equine Flu Cases Found

Four new cases of equine influenza have been identified in vaccinated thoroughbreds at trainer Simon Crisford’s Newmarket yard.

The British Horseracing Authority announced the news late on Sunday night following a weekend of testing on hundreds of horses up and down the country after six cases found at Donald McCain’s stable in Cheshire last week resulted in a six-day shutdown of racing.

It was hoped that the racing fixtures would be able to commence on Wednesday, but this latest news will no doubt throw that into doubt as the BHA is planning to make a decision on Monday evening.

In a statement, the BHA said: “No non-urgent journeys should be made to this yard – including by the media – and anyone who wishes to travel to the yard is advised to first contact the trainer’s office.

“This yard is one of the 174 which has been required to undergo testing due to the fact that runners from the stable competed at the fixture at Newcastle on February 5, which had been identified as a potential risk fixture.

“At the moment the affected horses are all contained within this yard. “A further update will be issued as early as possible [on Monday].

“This will include further details of action that is being taken off the back of this incident, and how the process will operate for the decision which will be made on Monday evening regarding whether it is possible to resume racing on Wednesday, February 13.”