Starter’s orders... racing ends its flu break

AS DAWN broke over the hills yesterday and the mist cleared, the thunder of hooves echoed once more across the landscape.

The return to the gallops signalled the resumption of horse racing after the six-day shutdown that followed an outbreak of equine flu.

Musselburgh, Plumpton, Kempton and Southwell will host the first cards today after an interregnum which the British Horseracing Authority admitted will have cost the industry “several million” pounds a day.

The authority had cancelled all events after tests for equine flu at the trainer Donald McCain’s yard in Cheshire had proved positive.

Six of his horses were affected by the virus, with a further four at Simon Crisford’s Newmarket stable also testing positive.

The authority faced widespread criticism for the decision to cancel 23 race meetings, but its chief executive, Nick Rust was adamant yesterday that there were no alternatives.

The organisation said racing could have been postponed for at least another week had stringent new vaccination requirements not been imposed. They require horses to have been vaccinated within six months of a race.

The new rules led to a raft of complaints from the trainers most affected, and the concession of “additional alternative” races to help them prepare horses that may as a result miss out on qualifying runs for upcoming festivals.

Champion trainer Nicky Henderson said: “It’s been a frustrating two weeks. We were snowed in before this.

“Obviously we are all delighted with the news, as this is what we wanted to hear.”

But he added: “We have got one or two frustrations because of the vaccinations. It has caught out one or two horses as they have just fallen outside of the window. We have just got to juggle a few things around.”