LONDON (AP) — British horse racing went ahead Wednesday with its unprecedented one-day strike to protest a feared rise in taxes on race betting, with a top official in the sport urging the industry to “stand together” and “make their voices heard.”

Four scheduled meetings — at Carlisle, Uttoxeter, Lingfield and Kempton — have been canceled and rescheduled after agreements between the owners of the courses and the British Horseracing Authority, making it the first time the sport in Britain has voluntarily refused to race in modern history.

The BHA set up the “Axe the Racing Tax” campaign in response to proposals to replace the existing three-tax structure of online gambling duties with a single tax, with fears the current 15% duty on racing could be increased to the 21% levied on games of

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