Punters fear Cheltenham Festival will fall victim to coronavirus outbreak
(The Guardian Sports News)

BHA sets up steering group on outbreak´s threat to sportThe official position is that nothing has changed, yetGamblers believe the Cheltenham Festival is at serious risk of being postponed or abandoned as fear of the spread of coronavirus begins to seep into the world of British horse racing. A betting market opened online by Betfair this week offers punters the chance to bet on whether the highlight of the jumps racing season will go ahead on 10 March, with `No´ trading at 3-1 on Wednesday morning, albeit after just £20,000 had been traded.That means punters believe there is a more obvious chance of the Festival´s first day being postponed than of the Champion Hurdle being won by the favourite, Epatante, a 7-2 shot. Racing´s leaders, however, take a cooler view of the risk presented by the virus; as at Wednesday morning, the only decision taken specifically because of the threat was to establish a coronavirus steering group including representatives of the British Horseracing Authority, racecourses and horsemen. Continue reading...