National Racehorse Week to start on Sunday but Epsom and Malton cancelled

National Racehorse Week will start a day later than planned on Sunday following the death of the Queen, but the open days at Epsom and Malton have been cancelled.

A decision on the Henry Cecil Open Weekend, due to take place on September 17 and 18 in Newmarket, will be taken early next week.

Individual open days will go ahead as part of the second annual celebration of the racehorse, although several yards, including that of royal trainer Nicky Henderson, will no longer be opening.

"Due to the very sad news of Queen Elizabeth's death we will not now be taking part in National Racehorse Week. Apologies to those who may be disappointed," a tweet from Henderson's account said.

The intention is the week will not only celebrate racehorses but also allow those attending to reflect on the Queen's contribution to racing, as well as her love of the sport and the thoroughbred.

Rod Street, Great British Racing's chief executive, said: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty the Queen and send our heartfelt condolences to all the royal family at this time.

"The Queen's knowledge and love of the thoroughbred was unrivalled and we want to honour this by continuing with National Racehorse Week. What better way for people to express their love and gratitude for the Queen than to get close to the very animals that brought her such immense pleasure throughout her life.

"Over the coming days thousands of people will be welcomed at yards up and down the country."

Events that were due to take place on Saturday are being cancelled with the hope they can be rescheduled for a later date.

The open days in Epsom and Malton are usually extremely popular with the public and are also vitally important in raising funds for Racing Welfare, which organises the events.

However, they would have clashed with the delayed St Leger card at Doncaster, which has been put back 24 hours after the abandonment of racing on Saturday.

Rebecca Menzies: has postponed open day at her Sedgefield yardCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Racing Welfare head of communications and marketing Nicki Strong said on Friday: "We have taken the difficult decision to cancel both Epsom and Malton open days.

"In light of the incredibly sad passing of Her Majesty the Queen, some trainers no longer felt comfortable in opening their yards, while the revised racing fixture for Sunday has also meant that for others, it is no longer possible to open.

"While we know many will be disappointed, these are exceptional circumstances. Our thoughts remain with King Charles III and all members of the royal family at this time."

Alongside Henderson, trainers Alastair Ralph, Rebecca Menzies and Ben Pauling have cancelled or postponed their yard openings. Fergal O'Brien has rearranged his open morning to Saturday, September 17 rather than this weekend.

The Epsom and Malton open days were lost in 2020 due to the pandemic, which also claimed the similar event in Middleham in 2020 and 2021.