Today is one of those rare days in the British racing calendar that genuinely catches you off guard. Four race meetings — Kempton Park, Salisbury, Worcester and Ffos Las — have been abandoned due to the current heatwave gripping southern England and the Midlands. In over 40 years of following this sport, I can’t recall it happening on this scale before, and I suspect many punters are sitting there today wondering what on earth is going on.
Here’s a clear breakdown of what’s happened, why, and what it means if you had money riding on today’s cards.
What’s Been Abandoned and Why
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) confirmed on Monday that Wednesday’s fixtures at Kempton, Salisbury, Worcester and Ffos Las would not go ahead following a red extreme heat warning issued by the Met Office. The warning covers parts of the Midlands, southern England and Wales from 9am Wednesday through to 9pm Thursday, with temperatures potentially hitting 37°C.
The BHA operates a straightforward hot weather policy: any fixture falling within a red warning zone is automatically abandoned. No exceptions. Worcester’s National Hunt card had already been moved forward to a morning slot in anticipation of the heat — but even that wasn’t enough, and the meeting was scrapped entirely.
Ffos Las is an interesting case. The Welsh track sits just outside the official red zone, but because participants would need to travel through the high-risk area to get there, the BHA called it off anyway. That’s the right call — you can’t ask stable staff, jockeys and horses to travel through extreme heat conditions to reach a course, regardless of what the temperature is on the track itself.
Crucially, racing at Carlisle in Cumbria goes ahead as normal. The north escapes again.
Thursday’s Racing — Earlier Start Times
It’s not just Wednesday affected. Thursday’s fixtures at Nottingham and Newmarket are both in amber warning zones, and rather than abandoning them outright, the BHA has brought the cards forward to avoid the hottest part of the day. Nottingham runs from 10.30am to 1pm. Newmarket starts at 10.45am and finishes at 1.15pm. If you’re having a bet on either meeting, worth knowing your race may be earlier than you expect.
When Will the Abandoned Meetings Be Rescheduled?
All four meetings have been rescheduled for early next week. Ffos Las and Kempton move to Monday 29 June, while Salisbury takes place on Tuesday 30 June. Any bets struck on today’s meetings will be void and stakes returned — check with your bookmaker, but that’s the standard procedure for abandoned fixtures.
Has This Happened Before?
In short — rarely, and not like this. The BHA’s formal hot weather policy, which uses a traffic light system tied to Met Office warnings, is a relatively modern framework. While individual meetings have been called off in the past due to extreme heat and firm ground, the abandonment of four meetings in a single day due to temperature alone rather than ground conditions is genuinely unusual. The sport is far more accustomed to waterlogged tracks and frost than heatwaves.
It’s also worth noting that France has been hit simultaneously — Chantilly brought their Wednesday card forward to a 9.45am start, while fixtures at Chateaubriant and Argentan have been moved to evening slots at coastal venues to catch cooler air. This is a Europe-wide problem today, not just a British one.
What This Tells Us About Horse Welfare
Whatever your view on the BHA, today’s decisions reflect well on the sport. Trainer Alex Hales, who had runners prepared for Worcester, came out and said the BHA had been “very sensible” and that horse welfare has to come first. That’s the right attitude. Horses cannot regulate body temperature the way humans can, and asking them to race in extreme heat — or even to be transported through it — poses genuine risks.
The industry gets plenty of criticism. On days like today, it deserves credit.
The Bottom Line for Punters
If you had bets placed on Kempton, Salisbury, Worcester or Ffos Las today, your stakes will be returned. Keep an eye on the rescheduled dates if you want to revisit those selections — note that ground conditions will likely be very different by the time racing gets back underway, which could change the complexion of certain races significantly.
And if you’re the type who likes to use downtime like this to sharpen up your approach — have a look at the tools on our Recommended Tools page. Days without racing are good days to do your homework.
