Pre-race examination dates

Please see below the provisional list of dates and locations at which all-card pre-race examinations are currently scheduled to take place for the remainder of 2025. 

You can also view the full list here. We will continue to update this link throughout the year.

We are very grateful to you and your teams for your continued assistance and cooperation in helping to ensure that the pre-race checks run smoothly, especially as they become an increasingly more regular feature of raceday operations.

The checks have now been in place for several years and we continue to increase their use at both Flat and Jump fixtures as we work together to reduce the risk of avoidable injury.

A reminder that all runners in all races at these fixtures will receive:

• A cardiac assessment using a stethoscope
• A trot up over approximately 25 metres, with the horse asked to trot up and back in a straight line on a firm surface
• An examination of the limbs by palpation

​These standard methods of pre-race check will always be performed by BHA veterinary officers in or near the racecourse stables.

Notifying the BHA in advance about mild lameness

We continue to encourage trainers to get in touch with the BHA's veterinary team in advance of raceday about horses that have mild lameness. You can do this by emailing: [email protected].

The sooner we know about these horses the better, as we can then work with you and your teams to discuss the specific circumstances and consider additional information that supports the horse's suitability to race.

Suitability to race guidance

We have also produced a guidance pack for trainers, which provides more information about why horses may be examined by BHA veterinary officers prior to racing. This can be viewed here.

In addition to all-card pre-race examinations, the pack covers the main processes followed by the BHA's VO team to ensure consistency in decision-making as we work together to reduce the risk of injuries on the racecourse. It also includes: 

• the lameness scale used when assessing a horse’s gait
• the process followed when irregular heart rhythms and sounds are detected
• the steps that trainers and their veterinary surgeons can take in advance to provide supporting information to help inform decisions about a horse’s suitability to race.​

More information

Thank you again for your continued assistance. If you have any questions, please do get in touch with us by emailing: [email protected].
 

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Provisional schedule for 2025

The following is where we currently expect all-card pre-race examinations to be in place during 2025. The list is also available to view here.

This may be subject to change, and it is possible that more fixtures will be added as we move through the year. We will continue to keep this list updated to reflect any changes.

We would always recommend contacting the BHA proactively and well in advance of raceday to discuss any horse that is mildly lame.

May

Thu 8 – Chester (Flat)
Thu 8 – Huntingdon (Jump)
Thu 8 – Stratford (Jump)
Fri 9 – Market Rasen (Jump)
Mon 12 – Windsor (Flat)
Tue 13 – Chepstow (Flat)
Tue 13 – Sedgefield (Jump)
Wed 14 – Bath (Flat)
Wed 14 – Perth (Jump)
Thu 15 – York (Flat)
Fri 16 – Aintree (Jump)
Fri 16 –  Newbury (Flat)
Sat 17 – Newbury (Flat)
Sun 18 - Newmarket (Flat)
Tue 20 – Huntingdon (Jump)
Wed 21 – Warwick (Jump)
Thu 22 – Ffos Las (Jump)
Fri 23 – Worcester (Jump)
Fri 23 – Goodwood (Flat)
Sat 24 – Salisbury (Flat)
Mon 26 – Leicester (Flat)
Wed 28 - Newton Abbot (Jump)
Fri 30 – Carlisle (Flat)
Fri 30 – Stratford-on-Avon (Jump)

June

Sun 1 – Fakenham (Jump)
Sun 1 - Chelmsford (Flat)
Mon 2 – Wetherby (Flat)
Tue 3 – Southwell (Jump)

Wed 4 – Newton Abbot (Jump)
Wed 4 – Ripon (Flat)
Thu 5 – Uttoxeter (Jump)
Fri 6 – Bangor-on-Dee (Jump)
Fri 6 – Epsom Downs (Flat)
Fri 6 – Goodwood (Flat)
Sat 7 – Epsom Downs (Flat) 
Sat 7 – Musselburgh (Flat)
Mon 9 – Southwell (Jump)
Tue 10 – Fontwell Park (Jump)
Wed 11 – Hamilton Park (Flat)
Wed 11 – Lingfield Park (Flat)
Fri 13 – Sandown Park (Flat)
Sat 14 – Hexham (Jump)
Sun 15 – Hamilton Park (Flat)
Tue 17 – Royal Ascot (Flat)
Wed 18 – Royal Ascot (Flat)
Thu 19 – Royal Ascot (Flat)
Thu 19 - Chelmsford (Flat)
Fri 20 – Royal Ascot (Flat)
Fri 20 – Market Rasen (Jump)
Sat 21 – Royal Ascot (Flat)
Sun 22 – Hexham (Jump)
Wed 25 – Worcester (Jump)
Fri 27 – Cartmel (Jump)
Sat 28 – Windsor (Flat)
Sun 29 – Cartmel (Jump)
Mon 30 – Pontefract (Flat)

July

Wed 2 - Epsom (Flat)
Fri 4 - Sandown Park (Flat)
Sat 5 - Sandown Park (Flat)
Sun 6 - Market Rasen (Jump)
Mon 7 - Worcester (Jump)
Tue 8 - Uttoxeter (Jump)
Wed 9 - Ffos Las (Flat)
Thu 10 – Newbury (Flat)
Thu 10 – Doncaster (Flat)
Thu 10 – Newmarket (Flat)
Fri 11 – Newmarket (Flat)
Fri 11 – York (Flat)
Sat 12 – Newmarket (Flat)
Mon 14 – Newton Abbot (Jump)
Tue 15 – Nottingham (Flat)
Wed 16 – Bath (Flat)
Thu 17 – Leicester (Flat)
Thu 17 – Chepstow (Flat)
Sat 19 – Cartmel (Jump)
Sun 20 – Stratford (Jump)
Sun 20 – Newton Abbot (Jump)
Mon 21 – Windsor (Flat)
Mon 21 – Cartmel (Jump)
Wed 23 - Catterick (Flat)
Fri 25 – Thirsk (Flat)
Fri 25 – Ascot (Flat)
Sat 26 – Ascot (Flat)
Mon 28 – Yarmouth (Flat)
Mon 28 – Southwell (Flat)
Tue 29 – Goodwood (Flat)
Wed 30 – Goodwood (Flat)
Thu 31 – Goodwood (Flat)

August

Fri 1 – Goodwood (Flat)
Sat 2 – Goodwood (Flat)
Sat 2 – Doncaster (Flat)
Sun 3 – Yarmouth (Flat)
Sun 3 – Chester (Flat)
Mon 4 – Ripon (Flat)
Fri 8 – Brighton (Flat)
Sat 9 – Lingfield (Flat)
Sat 9 – Redcar (Flat)
Sun 10 – Haydock Park (Flat)
Tue 12 – Carlisle (Flat)
Wed 13 – Kempton Park (Flat)
Wed 13 – Salisbury (Flat)
Wed 13 – Beverley (Flat)
Thu 14 – Chelmsford (Flat)
Fri 15 – Thirsk (Flat)
Sat 16 – Market Rasen (Jump)
Sun 17 – Pontefract (Flat)
Mon18 – Stratford (Jump)
Tue 19 – Wolverhampton (Flat)
Wed 20 – Worcester (Jump)
Wed 20 – York (Flat)
Thu 21 – York (Flat)
Thu 21 – Chelmsford (Flat)
Thu 21 – Newton Abbot (Jump)
Fri 22 – York (Flat)
Sat 23 – York (Flat)
Mon 25 – Southwell (Flat)
Thu 28 – Newbury (Flat)
Fri 29 – Fontwell Park (Jump)
 

September

Mon 1 – Brighton (Flat)
Tue 2 – Southwell (Flat)
Tue 2 – Wolverhampton (Flat)
Wed 3 – Hamilton Park (Flat)
Fri 5 – Bangor (Jump)
Fri 5 – Ascot (Flat)
Sat 6 – Ascot (Flat)
Sat 6 – Haydock Park (Flat)
Sun 7 – York (Flat)
Mon 8 – Windsor (Flat)
Tue 9 – Leicester (Flat)
Thu 11 – Doncaster (Flat)
Fri 12 – Doncaster (Flat)
Sat 13 – Doncaster (Flat)
Sat 13 – Bath (Flat)
Sun14 – Doncaster (Flat)
Tue 16 – Yarmouth (Flat)
Tue 16 – Redcar (Flat)
Tue 16 – Uttoxeter (Jump)
Wed 17 – Kelso (Jump)
Wed 17 – Beverley (Flat)
Thu 18 – Pontefract (Flat)
Sat 20 – Chester (Flat)
Sun 21 – Plumpton (Jump)
Mon 22 – Wolverhampton (Flat)
Tue 23 – Lingfield Park (Flat)
Tue 23 – Southwell (Flat)
Thu 25 – Perth (Jump)
Thu 25 – Newmarket (Flat)
Fri 26 – Newmarket (Flat)
Fri 26 – Worcester (Jump)
Sat 27 – Newmarket (Flat)
Sat 27 – Market Rasen (Jump)

October

Wed 1 – Kempton Park (Flat)

Wed 1 – Warwick (Jump)
Thu 2 – Southwell (Jump)
Thu 2 – Salisbury (Flat)
Fri 3 – Hexham (Jump)
Fri 3 – Southwell (Flat)
Sat 4 – Newmarket (Flat)
Mon 6 – Wolverhampton (Flat)
Tue 7 – Brighton (Flat)
Tue 7 – Huntingdon (Jump)
Wed 8 – Sedgefield (Jump)
Wed 8 – Ludlow (Jump)
Wed 8 – Nottingham (Flat)
Fri 10 – Newmarket (Flat)
Sat 11 – Newmarket (Flat)
Sat 11 – Chepstow (Jump)
Mon 13 – Musselburgh (Flat)
Mon 13 – Hereford (Jump)
Wed 15 – Worcester (Jump)
Thu 16 – Ffos Las (Jump)
Thu 16 – Carlisle (Jump)
Thu 16 – Chelmsford (Flat)
Sat 18 – Ascot (Flat)
Sat 18 – Wolverhampton (Flat)
Sun 19 – Kempton Park (Jump)
Tue 21 – Yarmouth (Flat)
Tue 21 – Perth (Jump)
Fri 24 – Doncaster (Flat)
Fri 24 – Cheltenham (Jump)
Sat 25 – Doncaster (Flat)
Sat 25 – Cheltenham (Jump)
Sun 26 – Wincanton (Jump)
Sun 26 – Aintree (Jump)
Mon 27 – Lingfield Park (Flat)
Wed 29 – Fakenham (Jump)
Wed 29 – Kempton Park (Flat)
Thu 30 – Chelmsford (Flat)
Thu 30 – Newcastle (Jump)
Thu 30 – Southwell (Flat)
Fri 31 – Newmarket (Flat)
Fri 31 – Wetherby (Jump)
Fri 31 – Uttoxeter (Jump)

November

Sat 1 – Ayr (Jump)

Sun 2 – Huntingdon (Jump)
Mon 3 – Southwell (Flat)
Tue 4 – Warwick (Jump)
Tue 4 – Lingfield Park (Flat)
Wed 5 – Chepstow (Jump)
Thu 6 – Newbury (Jump)
Thu 6 – Chelmsford (Flat)
Fri 7 – Fontwell Park (Jump)
Sat 8 – Aintree (Jump)
Mon 10 – Kempton Park (Jump)
Tue 11 – Lingfield Park (Jump)
Tues 11 – Hereford (Jump)
Thu 13 – Taunton (Jump)
Fri 14 – Southwell (Jump)
Fri 14 – Cheltenham (Jump)
Sat 15 – Cheltenham (Jump)
Sun 16 – Cheltenham (Jump)
Mon 17 – Plumpton (Jump)
Mon 17 – Exeter (Jump)
Wed 19 – Kempton Park (Flat)
Thu 20 – Wincanton (Jump)
Fri 21 – Ascot (Jump)
Sat 22 – Haydock Park (Jump)
Sun 23 – Windsor (Jump)
Mon 24 – Ludlow (Jump)
Tue 25 – Lingfield Park (Flat)
Wed 26 – Wetherby (Jump)
Wed 26 – Market Rasen (Jump)
Thu 27 – Newcastle (Flat)
Sat 29 – Bangor (Jump)
Sun 30 – Leicester (Jump)

December

Mon 1 – Kempton Park (Flat)

Wed 3 – Ludlow (Jump)
Thu 4 – Chelmsford (Flat)
Sat 6 – Sandown Park (Jump)
Sat 6 – Aintree (Jump)
Sun 7 – Huntingdon (Jump)
Mon 8 – Lingfield Park (Flat)
Mon 8 – Wolverhampton (Flat)
Wed 10 – Kempton Park (Flat)
Thu 11 – Warwick (Jump)
Fri 12 – Southwell (Flat)
Fri 12 – Cheltenham (Jump) 
Sat 13 – Cheltenham (Jump)
Sat 13 – Newcastle (Flat)
Tue 16 – Catterick (Jump)
Thu 18 – Southwell (Flat)
Mon 22 – Wolverhampton (Flat)
Fri 26 - Kempton Park (Jump)
Fri 26 – Aintree (Jump)
Sat 27 - Chepstow (Jump)
Tue 30 – Wolverhampton (Flat)