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The British Horseracing Authority has announced a new rule for races run on or after 19 January 2018 which requires you to declare when a horse has had wind surgery.

The declaration of wind surgery will be required for horses which have previously raced and must be made prior to their first run after wind surgery.

The types of wind surgery required to be declared are –
• Tie back (prosthetic laryngoplasty)
• Hobday (ventriculectomy/cordectomy)
• Epiglottic surgery
• Tie forward (dorsal displacement soft palate surgery)
• Soft palate cautery

After the rule is implemented, racecards will be enhanced to include WS to indicate wind surgery has been undertaken since a horse’s last run. WS will begin appearing in racecards from 19 January.

This change to the rules will have implications for trainers, as they will be responsible for declaring that the surgery has taken place. Details of the steps required to take – which includes some immediate actions, and some on an ongoing basis – are outlined below.

The British Horseracing Authority said "We are implementing this change to the rules because it’s important that we are open and transparent with customers of our sport, particularly bettors, about information which may influence their betting behavior. The provision of data is becoming more and more important in modern betting marketplaces, and if racing is to remain an attractive betting product then it is essential that we keep up to speed with our competitors in terms of the data we are providing to our customers.

"The implementation of the rule will also help to ensure our high standards of integrity are upheld in betting markets, and will allow us to collect research data on the nature, frequency and impact of wind surgeries on racehorses."

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