Plumpton is still scheduled to stage its Sunday, May 10 meeting, but officials are waiting on further test results before any final decision is made after a nearby yard reported a case involving equine influenza and EHV-4.
Tests Due Before Decision on Season Finale
Plumpton officials remain hopeful that the track’s Sunday finale can go ahead, but the position depends on updated veterinary information and the British Horseracing Authority’s assessment of any local risk.
Clerk of the course Marcus Waters said swabs were taken from the affected horse on Wednesday and are due to be taken again on Friday, with the first results expected on Thursday.
Those findings are expected to give the BHA a clearer picture of how infectious the case may be and whether there is any threat to racing or to horses in the surrounding area.
According to Waters, the horse involved is an unvaccinated, non-thoroughbred, and the yard currently has quarantine measures in place with no further infections reported at this stage.
Biosecurity Remains Central to Response
The case comes against the backdrop of the BHA’s April 23 equine influenza update, which said the Equine Infectious Diseases Surveillance team had identified a recent rise in reported cases in the non-thoroughbred herd, including in vaccinated horses.
In that update, the BHA said it had not been alerted to confirmed cases or clinical signs within licensed training yards, but urged extra vigilance around biosecurity, movement controls and the prompt investigation of any symptoms, including coughs, temperatures and nasal discharge.
Even though the current case is outside the licensed thoroughbred training population described in the BHA notice, the need for caution is clear.
Sunday Card Remains on the Schedule
As of Thursday morning, Plumpton’s meeting remains listed on the racing schedule. Racing publications still have a full afternoon card in place for Sunday, with racing due to begin at 1:57pm local time.
Any change to the fixture is likely to depend on the next round of test results and the BHA’s view on whether the nearby case presents a meaningful risk to runners, staff or the wider racing population.
The Bigger Picture…
This is a horse welfare and biosecurity story first, but it also has practical significance for trainers, owners, racecourse staff and punters because a local disease concern can quickly affect whether a meeting can safely proceed.
It’s also a timely reminder that even when no confirmed case has been reported inside licensed yards, British racing is still operating in a period of heightened vigilance around equine influenza.
