Plumpton scraps jumps finale after equine influenza scare nearby

Plumpton Racecourse lost its Jumps Season Finale before the card could be run, with Sunday’s meeting abandoned after a confirmed case of equine influenza and EHV-4 was found in an unvaccinated non-thoroughbred horse at a livery yard immediately beside the track.

The British Horseracing Authority said the decision was a precautionary one, driven by the yard’s very close proximity to the racecourse and, in particular, the stable area. The infected horse remains isolated but is still actively shedding the virus, while no other horses at the yard were showing signs of infection when the fixture was pulled.

For Plumpton, the cancellation cut off the final racing day of a jumps season built around 16 meetings from September to May at the one-mile Sussex circuit. That means one less late-season run for trainers mapping out campaigns, one fewer betting card for punters to weigh up, and one fewer race day for a course that relies on a tight annual programme to keep its jump season moving.

The BHA said it was working with Plumpton, the livery yard, the racecourse veterinary team and independent infectious disease experts to assess risk. It also reminded trainers and horsemen that equine influenza is highly contagious, can travel through the air over reasonable distances and can be spread indirectly, including via people moving between yards and racecourses.

That biosecurity warning carries unusual weight in British racing because the sport has been here before. In February 2019, racing across Britain was shut down for six days after equine flu positives were found in vaccinated horses, a crisis that still shapes how quickly the industry reacts when a new case appears.

Plumpton apologised for the inconvenience and thanked supporters for their understanding. The result is a sudden break in the late jumps calendar, with welfare taking priority and the sport left to manage the ripple effects from a single infection detected just yards from the racecourse gates.