NEWMARKET CONFIDENT OF STAGING CRAVEN MEETING Officials at Newmarket are confident that next month`s Craven meeting will go ahead as planned.The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has so far disrupted the fixture list but no problems are anticipated at Headquarters.Lisa Hancock, managing director of Newmarket racecourse, told BBC Breakfast News: 'We are due to start racing on April 17th, 18th and 19th - our three-day Craven meeting. It is a month away so we are obviously putting all the precautionary measures in place in terms of foot dips for horses, all the vehicles and all the people as well.'At the moment we are not in an exclusion zone and we are some 30 miles from the nearest case.'We are in a mainly arable farming area with not much stock around. There are some sheep but that would be all.'So we are fairly relaxed at the moment but obviously very aware of the problems.'Unless Newmarket becomes in an exclusion zone racing will happen here on April 17th, 18th and 19th.'There is a doubt thatIrish horses will be able to travel over in time for Newmarket`s Guineas meeting on May 4th, 5th and 6th because of current restrictions on the movement of horses in Ireland.'I think the French and Irish are both deliberating whether or not they should have horses coming over to England at the moment,' Mrs Hancock added.'They are looking at Aintree and Cheltenham at the moment but then their attention will turn to us.'We always hope to attract some runners from Ireland principally Aidan O`Brien`s horses and also some French runners for the Guineas meeting.'It would not be easy to rearrange a meeting at Newmarket if a fixture was postponed due to foot and mouth as Mrs Hancock explained: 'The window for a replacement fixture for a postponement is far shorter because Flat (turf) racing is a very short season.'A week in a two-year-old`s life is far more vital than a week in a 10-year-old chaser`s life.'So we believe if there is a problem we would probably only haveaseven to 10 day window of opportunity.'
