RACING SETBACK
Four new positive tests of equine flu
HoPES for the return of racing on Wednesday after a six-day shutdown caused by an outbreak of equine influenza took a blow last night when it emerged that four samples from a Newmarket yard had tested positive.
the infected horses are from the yard of Flat trainer Simon crisford, who for a long time was Godolphin’s racing manager before starting training.
the news takes the total number of positives in racing to 10 so far, and there are known to be more involving non-racing horses.
It had looked likely yesterday that the BHA would be satisfied that no cross-contamination was caused by infected Donald Mccain-trained Raise A Spark running at Ayr last week — and would make a welcome announcement today on the resumption of action.
Indeed, after thousands of swabs from across the country had come back negative, signs had looked ‘encouraging’ that an announcement about a restart could be made tonight, according to David Sykes, the BHA’s director of equine health and welfare.
Yet, it was announced late last night that four horses at crisford’s yard in Newmarket had tested positive, which could spell further delays and yard lockdowns.
A BHA statement said: ‘the horseracing community in Newmarket is being informed that four positive tests for equine influenza have been returned this evening in vaccinated thoroughbreds at the yard of a licensed flat trainer in Newmarket.
‘this yard is one of the 174 which has been required to undergo testing due to the fact that runners from the stable competed at the fixture at Newcastle on February 5, which had been identified as a potential risk fixture. At the moment the affected horses are all contained within this yard.’
one possible outcome of this development is that the BHA, which is being guided by its industry veterinary committee, could order some re-testing of horses before allowing racing to resume.
Given the extent of testing that has been required in the effort to contain the outbreak, any announcement today would have come before the analysis of all the swabs had been completed.
It is thought that by last night 1,500 test results had been analysed, with thousands more still to be done. However, the news of more positive tests does not definitely mean that racing will not resume on Wednesday.
If the BHA is satisfied that none of the stables that had runners at Ayr last Wednesday have been affected by the highly-contagious illness, and the cases at crisford’s yard can be contained, it could yet be enough for the BHA to give the re-start a green light.
A resumption could even happen while some stables, headed by Mccain’s cheshire stable, remain in lockdown. All horses in the cleveland stable of trainer Rebecca Menzies, which had thrown up a ‘suspicious’ case, have now been cleared.
Sykes said yesterday: ‘the data is encouraging and provides a further indication that the safety measures have helped to contain the spread of disease. However, the picture is still developing.
‘It remains paramount that we do not take any unnecessary risks. this is not a common cold, it is a highly contagious and potentially serious disease.’