Races cancelled as disease spreads

Horseboxes disinfected at Haydock on Saturday

Growing fears about foot-and-mouth disease are having an impact on forthcoming Welsh sport.

Wednesday's race meeting at Chepstow is the first casualty of the outbreak, which is causing concern for organisers of a variety of sporting events.

Stephen Jones, executive director of Chepstow Racecourse, has announced that this week's races have been called off as a result of professional advice.

He said Ministry of Agriculture officials, and the course's own vets, had urged him to take precautionary measures.

Meanwhile, governing bodies in rugby and horse racing have confirmed they are monitoring the situation closely and are ready to take action if the situation worsens.

The Welsh and Irish Rugby Unions are in consultation over Saturday's Six Nations clash in Cardiff and have admitted the fixture could be postponed.

Next month's Cheltenham National Hunt Festival is under threat.

And motorsport has also been affected - the Rally of Wales has been postponed the Malcolm Wilson Rally in Cumbria on Saturday is off.

There are very serious implications that are obviously more important than an international rugby fixture

Welsh Rugby Union

Although foot-and-mouth does not affect humans, it can be transmitted via footwear if people come into contact with it.

Horses are also not affected by the disease, but can be carriers.

The disease has hit sport before.

In 1967, a foot-and-mouth epidemic swept Britain and the Irish government banned New Zealand from travelling to Ireland from Britain for a match.

And horse racing was banned for several weeks.

Ireland's Rugby Football Union spokesman Malachi Quinn said: "We are liaising with the Irish and British governments with the prime objective to stop the disease spreading to the Republic of Ireland."

He added that all parties were waiting on more information in relation to a suspected case in Anglesey.

A Welsh Rugby Union statement said: "There are very serious implications that are obviously more important than an international rugby fixture."

Meanwhile, the British Horseracing Board and The Jockey club also met on Monday to implement measures that "would minimise the risk of the virus being spread".

We just have to keep our fingers crossed that we don't fall within an exclusion area

Cheltenham clerk of course Simon Claisse

A list of precautionary measures have been printed on both organisation's websites.

BHB's racing director Paul Greeves added: "Regrettably, the position is developing hour by hour, and we will act accordingly."

Monday's scheduled meeting at Newcastle had already been abandoned because the course fell within a 10-mile exclusion zone around a foot-and-mouth infected area.

The transport of racehorses was one of the topics on the agenda as was the future of next month's Cheltenham Festival.

Cheltenham Racecourse clerk of the course Simon Claisse said: "We just have to keep our fingers crossed that we don't fall within an exclusion area."

The Irish Government has warned it may act to stop Irish horses and racegoers travelling to Cheltenham.