Flu shutdown is idiotic says frustrated owner
LEADING owner Dai Walters believes the British Horseracing Authority has “lit a fire they can’t put out” in deciding to suspend racing during the outbreak of equine influenza.
The sport was rocked last Wednesday after it emerged three horses, which subsequently rose to six, were found to have the highly-infectious disease at Donald McCain’s stable in Cheshire.
The ruling body quickly enforced a six-day shutdown of racing in Britain, with a decision due to made late last night about whether the sport can resume tomorrow.
The chances of a resumption suffered a blow on Sunday evening after the BHA announced four vaccinated horses at the yard of trainer Simon Crisford in Newmarket had also been found to have contracted the virus.
However, Walters – who has seen two of his leading Cheltenham Festival hopes, Al Dancer and Angels Breath, miss engagements in recent days – believes any further delay would be a bad move.
Walters said: “I think we should be getting back racing now. In every walk of life you get flu and things like that. I employ 500 people, and if one or two of them are ill I send them home – I don’t just stop the whole operation altogether.
“Every yard has boxes away from the main stables, where they can isolate any horses that get ill. Fair enough, close down the yards with horses that have picked this up, but to close down racing altogether is idiotic – they’ve lit a fire they can’t put out.
“I have about 50 horses, and they’re all very well looked after. If I thought any of them weren’t being looked after properly I’d move them, it’s as simple as that.
“The climate is changing. We don’t get hard frosts like we used to – you haven’t had to put anti-freeze in your car all winter.
“We haven’t been able to run a lot of horses because the ground has been too dry – and, who knows, we might get snow for a couple of weeks and then we won’t be able to race again because of that.
“Racing is a huge industry and it’s crazy what’s going on at the moment.”
Paul Barber has owned some of the biggest stars of National Hunt racing in the last 30 years, including Cheltenham Gold Cup heroes See More Business (1999) and Denman (2008).
He also has an interest in the Paul Nicholls-trained Clan Des Obeaux, who was due to test his Gold Cup credentials in last Saturday’s Denman Chase at Newbury before the cancellation of racing.
Barber said: “I’m farming and have been all my life, so I can well remember 2001 when we had to stop racing because of foot and mouth disease.
“It’s frustrating but I look upon it as one of the evils of life, and the BHA have got to do what they’ve got to do. They can’t start things up again until they’re sure things are 90 per cent safe.”
Asked whether Clan Des Obeaux may run in the Denman Chase, should it be rescheduled, Barber added: “I’ll leave that to the trainer, who the last time I saw him was not smiling as much as usual.
“Whether he’ll run again before Cheltenham will be up to Paul (Nicholls).”
I employ 500 people, and if one or two of them are ill I send them home – I don’t just stop the whole operation altogether. Dai Walters