Vaccination system tweaks to prevent repeat Noble Yeats prank | Horse racing news

A new reminder system has been introduced to give trainers more time after entries close to resolve any outstanding issues regarding a horse’s vaccination status.

The change to the current rules comes after Grand National winner Noble Yeats was kicked out of Lingfield’s Fleur De Lys Chase last weekend after his vaccination record failed to comply with racing rules before entries closed , although the race was later called off due to the frozen ground.

After extensive engagement and feedback from trainers, the BHA and the National Trainers Federation (NTF) have agreed to take additional steps to help further reduce the likelihood of the same scenario occurring in the future.

Where a horse has been identified as not qualified to race due to outstanding vaccination status issues, trainers will now be contacted directly by email and will have until 9am the day after entries close to resolve any issues. problems.

If, however, the vaccination card is still not up to date at 9 am the day after the closing date for entries, the horse will remain unqualified for this race. The horse will also remain ineligible for future races until vaccinations are fully up to code.

Previously, vaccinations had to be administered, uploaded to the Weatherbys app and checked by a veterinarian before entries closed to prevent a horse from being disqualified. In the case of Noble Yeats, this process was not completed in time, meaning the horse was not qualified to race.

The new reminder system is being introduced on a trial basis, in the hope that it will provide a useful safety net.

“We are pleased to have been able to agree a positive change to the vaccination process following discussions with the BHA,” said NTF chief executive Paul Johnson.

“The change will serve to reduce instances of trainers getting caught up in some of the process requirements while ensuring horses are vaccinated as required before they can race.