British Horseracing Authority permits Newbury to conduct Friday’s race
Newbury has just recently been given official clearance by the British Horseracing Authority to go ahead with the Totesport Trophy race event that is scheduled to take place Friday.
The meet had already been postponed due to the tragic deaths of two horses at the race course. Fenix Two and Marching Song were found dead as they were about to be mounted by their respective jockeys for a race. At the time of the deaths, the rumour that
the deaths were caused by electrocution, spread like wild fire; this was fuelled by the fact that burn marks were found on the bodies of the deceased animals. However, it wasn’t confirmed until last Saturday that the unfortunate deaths were in fact caused
by electrocution. The confirmation was obtained after the bodies of the two horses were examined for post mortem.
The BHA director of equine science and welfare, Tim Morris, said that the results on the two horses were “all consistent with the cause of death being accidental electrocution". He added: "At this stage we are not investigating any other cause of death."
The BHA had told Newbury that it could hold the live horse racing event on condition that the track provide assurance of the safety of the horses as well as the spectators. In an attempt to fulfil this condition, Newbury has removed a cable from the place
where the tragic incident took place. In addition to this, Newbury’s power supplier, Southern Electric, has also given assurance that both the track and the paddock have been made safe. Other than that, precautionary measures have also been taken. The company
has ensured that the required safety and quality standards are being met at the track by testing different cables at the race track.
The managing director of the racecourse, Stephan Higgins made the following comments regarding the safety measures taken at the track: "The investigation by Southern Electric Power Distribution continues, to establish the cause of the electrical leakage.
I would like to stress again that Southern Electric has confirmed that there was no danger to the public on Saturday.”
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