Stewards abandon race after heatwave
CHELTENHAM stewards were forced to abandon yesterday’s long-distance chase because of the hot weather. The three-mile, twofurlong race was called off on welfare grounds after a consultation between jockeys, trainers and stewards. After the first race, two horses were reported to be suffering from heat stress, with temperatures touching 25oC. Another runner, Dame Rose, collapsed and died of a suspected heart attack, but a track spokesman said the death was not linked to the heat. He added: ‘After consultations between all parties, it was agreed that the long distance chase should not be run.’ The stewards’ report said that running the race ‘posed an unacceptable risk to horses over this extreme distance in the prevailing heat, especially as horses appear not to have acclimatised to the exceptionally warm weather following a prolonged cold spell’.