Timeline: Racing's foot-and-mouth crisis

Question-marks still hang over Cheltenham

Racing has returned from its self-imposed ban, but not without the loss of the Cheltenham Festival. BBC Sport Online takes a look at how events surrounding the foot-and-mouth outbreak have affected the sport.

21 February
Official confirmation at an abattoir at Brentwood, Essex, of Britain's first case of foot and mouth for more than 20 years.

22 February
First point-to-point meeting is abandoned and a hunting ban imposed for one week.

23 February
Meeting at Newcastle in three days time is called off as course falls within an exclusion zone. Nine of 11 weekend point-to-point meetings called off. Share prices of bookmaking firms fall.

24 February
Big meetings go ahead at Kempton and Haydock without hitch.

25 February
Irish agriculture minister Joe Walsh suggests chances of Cheltenham going ahead are, "worse than 50-50". Seventh outbreak is confirmed.

26 February
Meeting at Portman Square between representatives of the British Horseracing Board, Racecourse Association, National Trainers Federation, the Animal Health Trust and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Number of confirmed cases rises to 12. Trainers including Kim Bailey, Ferdy Murphy and Wilf Storey call for racing to be halted. All point-to-points are cancelled.

Cheltenham officials express concern over chances of Festival going ahead.

27 February
Meetings go ahead at Catterick, Leicester and Wolverhampton.

Racing is suspended in Britain for seven days. Irish government bans horse and greyhound racing indefinitely and calls on racegoers and trainers to stay away from Cheltenham.

Number of confirmed cases now 18. Majority of trainers support suspension decision. John McCririck accuses racing of having "self-destructed".

28 February
Bookmakers call a halt to betting on races at Cheltenham.

Tentative plans drawn up to resume racing on 7 March. Government welcomes "sensible and responsible" suspension. Extra greyhound meetings and numbers draws to British betting offices.

1 March
Suspected case of foot-and-mouth at Woolstone, five miles from Cheltenham, heightens fears for Festival.

Irish trainers announce that they will not be travelling to Cheltenham. Fears of outbreak in Lambourn prove to be a false alarm.

2 March
Jockey Club and BHB issue guidelines for re-start of racing in Britain. Catterick and Carlisle call off meetings scheduled for following week.

3 March
Towcester, Bangor and Wincanton all call off meetings. Jockey Club veterinary advisor Peter Webbon appears on Channel 4 Racing's Morning Line programme, emphasising low risk that racing could spread disease.

Viewers' poll finds that two-thirds do not want racing to re-start.

4 March
Cheltenham hopes rise. Lingfield keen to race on 7 March. Other courses still weighing up options. Number of confirmed cases now stands at 69.

5 March
Chepstow on Saturday called off. French Government announces a ban on the movement of horses with leading fancies First Fold, Baracouda, Bilboa and Jair du Cochet all likely to miss the Cheltenham Festival.

Hereford's Friday meeting abandoned.

6 March
Farmers representatives plead for racing not to resume until foot-and-mouth has been properly contained. Another suspected case emerges at Lambourn, casting fresh doubts over the Cheltenham festival.

7 March
Racing resumes at Lingfield.

7 March
Cheltenham National Hunt Festival abandoned. Plans to stage the event in April.