Racing fixtures reshuffled as British heatwave forces changes across the calendar

Doncaster and Yarmouth have become the latest racecourses to alter their Friday fixtures, bringing forward their cards to morning starts as officials prioritise the safety and wellbeing of horses, jockeys, staff and spectators.

The changes come after the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) cancelled four of the five meetings scheduled to take place on Wednesday, with the ongoing heatwave creating challenging conditions across much of Britain.

A red weather warning was issued by the Met Office earlier in the week, while amber warnings remain in place across several regions as temperatures continue to climb.

Nottingham and Newmarket had already moved their Thursday fixtures to earlier start times, with Doncaster and Yarmouth now following the same approach.

Doncaster’s seven-race card will now begin at 10.15am, with the final race due off at 1.15pm. Yarmouth will start shortly afterwards at 10.30am, with racing scheduled to finish at 1.30pm.

Both tracks are expected to experience some of the hottest conditions, with temperatures potentially reaching 36C at Doncaster and 35C at Yarmouth on Friday.

Doncaster clerk of the course David Attwood explained the decision was made after updated forecasts showed temperatures rising significantly.

“We looked at things in the early part of the week and we were looking at temperatures in around the low 30Cs, but when we came in on Tuesday and got an updated forecast, the temperatures really shot up,” Attwood said.

“It could potentially reach 36C and would be peaking between 2pm and 4pm, so we took the decision to bring the start time forward.”

Doncaster has also introduced additional measures to help deal with the conditions, including extra cooling facilities, increased water supplies and greater flexibility around staff accommodation.

The course has 47 horses declared across the seven races, with the team putting preparations in place to ensure conditions are as comfortable as possible.

Attwood added: “We invested in some cooling fans a couple of years back and there’s extra water provisions too, so we were fully prepared for this.

“We have accommodation available for staff open earlier for when they’re coming here, and if they want to stay after racing is finished and travel home in some slightly cooler conditions, then we have the ability to do that too.

“We’re making everything as comfortable as we can for everyone. There’s free ice cream for all of the staff and we want to look after them and the horses as best we can.”

Saturday’s fixture at Windsor has also been moved, with racing now taking place in the evening after a new amber weather warning was issued for parts of Britain.

The meeting will now run between 5.15pm and 8.15pm, rather than its original afternoon slot of 1.50pm to 5.10pm.

The BHA confirmed the changes were made in line with its hot weather policy and after reviewing the latest forecasts.

A statement from the governing body said: “The Met Office issued a new amber weather warning for Friday at 11am today, which has informed our planning.

“With the situation having changed, we have acted accordingly in line with the BHA hot weather policy and in the interests of horse and human safety and wellbeing.

“We will continue working with racecourses staging fixtures in the upcoming days to consider any mitigations that may be necessary due to the weather.”

The extreme conditions have already caused further disruption, with Kempton, Salisbury and Ffos Las meetings originally scheduled for Wednesday now rescheduled for next week.

The current heatwave is expected to bring some of the highest June temperatures on record, with disruption also affecting schools, travel and wider public services across England and Wales.