Thursday 7 February 2019 10:25, UK
The BHA has announced that all racing in Britain on Thursday has been cancelled due to three equine influenza cases.
Meetings at Huntingdon, Doncaster, Ffos Las and Chelmsford have therefore been abandoned.
A BHA statement on Wednesday night read: "The British Horseracing Authority, with unanimous support of the BHA's industry veterinary committee, has taken the decision to cancel racing at all British racecourses on Thursday 7 February 2019.
"This is following the BHA being informed this evening by the Animal Health Trust of three confirmed Equine Influenza positives from vaccinated horses in an active racing yard.
"Horses from the infected yard have raced today at Ayr and Ludlow, potentially exposing a significant number of horses from yards across the country and in Ireland.
"The fact that the cases have been identified in vaccinated horses presents a cause for significant concern over welfare and the potential spread of the disease and the action to cancel racing has been viewed as necessary in order to restrict, as far as possible, the risk of further spread of the disease.
"The BHA has worked quickly to identify which yards could have potentially been exposed today and identify the further actions required.
"The BHA is presently communicating with yards potentially exposed to ensure appropriate quarantine and biosecurity measures are put in place and horse movements restricted to avoid possible further spread of the disease.
"The full extent of potential exposure is unknown and we are working quickly to understand as much as we can to assist our decision making. The BHA is working closely with the Animal Health Trust and will issue a further update tomorrow (Thursday)."
Sky Sports Racing's Alex Hammond told Sky Sports News: "Equine influenza is a little bit like flu in people. All racehorses are vaccinated. It's always around and it is highly infectious and it is potentially the most damaging of the respiratory viruses that occur in horses.
"They get the usual symptoms, they get a high fever, they cough and they get nasal discharge.
"You wouldn't want it to sweep across the entire horse racing nation because that causes a massive issue for the whole industry."
