HEN LAYS INTO BHA

PLANS for a “partial release” of stables in lockdown during the equine flu crisis last night came under fire from triple Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Henrietta Knight (above).

With swabs on thousands of horses still to be assessed by the Animal Health Trust — and more thoroughbreds still to be tested — a backlog to the process looks set to run into midweek.

The BHA’S David Sykes yesterday mooted plans for a “partial release” under which some of the 174 stables under scrutiny are freed to race — while others awaiting clearance remain in lockdown.

But Knight, who saddled Best Mate to capture chasing’s blue ribbon in 2002, 2003 and 2004, said: “It’s not fair that you have one rule for one, and another rule for another.

“It’s not an epidemic, but the BHA has lit a fire — and they are going to have a hell of a job to put it out,” added Knight, who now runs a highly successful pre training yard in Berkshire and is a successful author.