Owners and trainers of point-to-pointers are reminded of the need to download the ‘Vaccination app’ if they plan running horses in hunters’ chases.
Six-monthly vaccinations to prevent equine influenza in racehorses and point-to-pointers have been standard for several seasons, but to run a horse under Rules it is now obligatory that trainers and their vets use the app to relay accurate vaccination information to the British Horseracing Authority. This avoids horses being deemed non-runners on the day of a race.
In the past this information was recorded in a horse’s passport, which meant a runner would have travelled to a racecourse before a vaccination error could be spotted. Trainers now place vaccination information on the app and their vet approves it by 9am on the day after an entry has been made.
User Guide for the Weatherbys Vacc App
Gloucestershire trainer Max Comley is among a number of trainers to have fallen foul of the new requirement after he entered recent Cocklebarrow winner Just Your Type for Friday’s hunters’ chase at Kelso. Comley said: “The horse is correctly vaccinated, but they have brought in the new app system. He was going to be my first hunter chase runner of the season, and when I realised the problem on Sunday the office [at Weatherbys] was shut and we were busy with a runner at Higham.
“On Monday I got it sorted out and the person I spoke to at Weatherbys was very helpful, but it was too late for the Kelso race – I see there are just five runners and it would have been a nice little race for him.
“My advice to anyone thinking of running a horse in a hunters’ chase is be on the ball and give it plenty of time to sort out.”
Fortunately for Comley he has also entered Just Your Type at Horseheath on Saturday and will run the Neil O’Hara-owned 11-year-old there if the ground is suitable.
Just Your Type in action recently at Cocklebarrow **Neale Blackburn