Plumpton believe they staged a “brilliant” afternoon of racing to help get the sport back up and running.

The Mid Sussex course was one of four to host action as racing resumed after the equine influenza lockdown.

About 1,200 race-goers were there to enjoy it, despite doubt until late on Monday night that the meeting would go ahead.

Plumpton chief executive Dan Thompson told The Argus: “The atmosphere on course was really buoyant and, with the biggest winning distance being one-and-a-half lengths, it was a brilliant day of racing for everyone to enjoy and cheer home.

“It’s safe to say everyone from grooms to owners, groundstaff to stewards and jockeys to racehorses, were all glad to be back racing.”

Top Sussex trainer Gary Moore said: “Thank God that Plumpton was on a Wednesday, and not a Monday like it normally is.

“Meetings like this and those at Fontwell and Lingfield are our bread and butter and ones where we often have winners, so they mean more when they are called off.

“We are not all lucky enough to have good horses that can always run at big meetings and these types of meetings are good for us, without going a million miles away.”

Attention switches to the west of the county today as they go over the jumps at Fontwell.

Plumpton’s next raceday is on Monday, February 25, and their big ones come on Easter Sunday and Monday.