Racing resumption eases Melbourne Cup fears

The Melbourne Cup Carnival will go ahead as planned after it was announced horseracing will resume in Victoria this Saturday despite the possible spread of the equine influenza virus elsewhere in Australia.

Three thoroughbreds stabled at Randwick racecourse in Sydney are being tested for the highly-contagious virus, which has already spread through the equestrian population in New South Wales and Queensland.

That has prompted an extension of the ban on the movement of horses in New South Wales, with the likelihood that racing will not resume in Sydney until Thursday September 6 at the earliest.

Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’Landys insisted authorities acted quickly when the three horses began to show signs of the virus overnight.

“We’re being cautious with Randwick, we had three horses which showed an elevated temperature. Under the current circumstances we didn’t want to take any risk,” he said.

If the tests are positive, it will be the first case of the virus among racing thoroughbreds. But leading trainer Gai Waterhouse called for a measure of calm around the outbreak.

“Horses having high temperatures in winter time is as common as children having colds,” he said.

“I think everyone has to keep a measure of sanity. The horses aren’t going to die. They’ve been isolated, so they can rest and get over it.”

Victorian racing authorities have not been deterred by the Sydney situation, declaring the state free of the virus after an exhaustive testing operation since Saturday.

“All horses that have been brought into Victoria over the last 14 days have all been tested and there is no evidence of any of this virus being present in any of the horses in Victoria,” Racing Victoria Limited chairman Graeme Duff said.

“Victoria still has no incidence of the equine influenza epidemic which is evident in New South Wales.”

Racing will resume at Caulfield on Saturday for the Memsie Stakes meeting, but horses from New South Wales will be prevented from entering Victoria for the event.

RVL is now confident that the remainder of the Melbourne spring carnival, which culminates in the Melbourne Cup in November, will go ahead.

The Victoria Racing Club, which stages the Cup, said that all plans for the re-opening of Flemington, the venue for the race, on September 8 remain in place.