BHA cancels four race meetings after UK extreme heat warning

The British Horseracing Authority cancelled four Wednesday race meetings after the Met Office issued a rare red extreme-heat warning for parts of the UK, with Carlisle the only meeting still scheduled at the latest check.

The abandoned fixtures are Salisbury, Ffos Las, Kempton Park and Worcester. The BHA said the decisions were being taken on welfare grounds as temperatures were forecast to reach as high as 38C.

Why the meetings were called off

The BHA's hot-weather policy requires fixtures in red-warning zones to be abandoned and also prevents horses from being transported through those areas.

That is why Ffos Las was affected even though the course itself is outside the red zone. Horses would still need to travel through a red-warning area to get there.

The warning covers parts of the Midlands, southern England and Wales from 24 June to 25 June 2026, and officials have warned of wider disruption across transport and other infrastructure.

What is still going ahead

Carlisle remained on the Wednesday schedule in the latest reporting.

Nottingham's Thursday fixture has already been brought forward to 10:30 a.m. to avoid the worst of the heat, showing how racecourses are adjusting as the heatwave intensifies.

The latest changes follow earlier reporting that first identified Salisbury, Ffos Las, Kempton Park and Worcester as the abandoned meetings. The BHA is expected to keep reviewing fixtures as the red warning continues.

What to watch next

The main questions now are whether Carlisle also has to be called off, and whether any further Wednesday or Thursday meetings are moved earlier or abandoned as conditions worsen.