The British Horseracing Authority makes an unprecedented decision to LEAVE five meetings after the Met Office warned of “extreme heat”… with temperatures soaring to 106F on Monday
- The BHA canceled five horse races Monday and Tuesday
- Beverly, Windsor, Chelmsford City, Southwell and Wolverhampton meetings are over
- The UK Met Office has issued the first-ever ‘red’ extreme heat warning
Five upcoming racing events have been canceled due to extreme weather, Britain’s Horceracing Authority (BHA) has confirmed.
Two games in Beverly and Windsor on Monday, as well as games in Chelmsford City, Southwell and Wolverhampton are now abandoned in an unprecedented decision by the BHA.
That met officeBritain’s national weather service, issued a “red” extreme heat warning on Monday and Tuesday – the first ever.
A BHA statement said: “The affected courses are either within or close to the alert area and therefore a decision has been made with the best interests of the human and equine participants, owners, staff and customers in mind that the games should not go ahead as planned.
Richard Wayman, CEO of the BHA said: “The BHA’s highest priority in conducting any event is the welfare of everyone involved, man and horse.
“Following the Met Office’s first-ever Extreme Heat Warning, we are taking sensible precautions and have taken a decision as quickly as possible to provide peace of mind to those affected.”
The BHA has made the unprecedented decision to cancel five horse races following Met Office “Red” warnings of extremely high temperatures on Monday and Tuesday
The Beverly, Windsor, Chelmsford City, Southwell and Wolverhampton games are now over
Monday is expected to hit 106°F, or around 40-41°C, which would make it the UK’s hottest day on record.
Schools are trying to protect students from the heat with canceled sports days and bans on outdoor physical education classes.
And professional sports are now taking steps to protect their participants.
Temperatures are expected to hit 40C (106F) in London next Tuesday, which would be a record
Mark Spincer, responsible for Windsor, Southwell and Wolverhampton, added: “We fully support the decision.
“While we had taken steps to mitigate the higher temperatures, the latest updates and the warnings issued this morning made it clear that it was in everyone’s best interests to abandon these devices.
“We will be in touch shortly with all customers who have had bookings for these racing events and thanks to the BHA team for acting quickly in the changing circumstances.”
