Four race meetings abandoned on Wednesday as BHA acts after extreme heat warning

The British Horseracing Authority abandoned four race meetings on Wednesday after the Met Office issued a rare red extreme heat warning for parts of England and Wales.

Kempton Park, Salisbury, Worcester and Ffos Las were all called off under the BHA’s hot-weather policy. Carlisle was the only Wednesday fixture still scheduled to go ahead at the time of reporting.

Why the meetings were abandoned

The BHA policy says meetings in red-warning zones should be abandoned and horses should not be transported from or through those areas. Ffos Las was also affected because travel to the course would have required movement through the red-warning area.

The Met Office warning covered Wednesday and Thursday and was described as rare and potentially dangerous, with temperatures forecast to reach around 38C in some areas.

Wider disruption

The heatwave was already affecting sporting schedules and travel plans more broadly. Nottingham brought its Thursday start forward to 10:30am to try to avoid the hottest part of the day.

The warning also underlined the wider public impact of the weather, with the Met Office warning of serious heat-related disruption and health risks.

What to watch next

Further changes remain possible if the red warning footprint or timing changes, or if the BHA decides to move additional fixtures out of the hottest part of the week.

The main questions now are whether any more meetings will be abandoned or rescheduled, and whether other racecourses outside the red-zone area will adjust their start times.