Racing shutdown may END on Wednesday after Equine Influenza outbreak

The return of racing on Wednesday after a six-day shutdown caused by an outbreak of Equine Influenza looks like it will be confirmed later on Sunday if the BHA is satisfied that no cross-contamination was caused by infected Donald McCain-trained Raise A Spark running at Ayr last week.

Racing’s ruling body will make an announcement about a re-start this evening with signs looking ‘encouraging’ according to David Sykes, the BHA’s Director of Equine Health & Welfare.

By then, 1,000s of test results will still not have been analysed. But being satisfied that none of the stables that had runners at the Scottish track last Wednesday have been affected by the highly-contagious illness could be enough for the BHA to give the re-start a green light when they conduct their risk analysis.

So far only Donald McCain’s stable have had confirmed diagnosis of Equine Flu

The resumption could even happen while some stables, headed by McCain’s Cheshire stable, remain in lockdown.

By last night around 1,500 test results had been analysed and the six positive tests remained restricted to McCain’s stable. All horses in the Cleveland stable of trainer Rebecca Menzies, which had thrown up a ‘suspicious’ case, have now been cleared.

Sykes said: ‘The data is encouraging and provides a further indication that the precautionary safety measures have helped to contain the spread of disease. However, the picture is still developing and it remains the case that we will make an evidence-based decision about the situation on Monday.

‘The prioritisation exercise with regards to testing will help deliver a detailed picture of the spread of infection.’

His stable in Cheshire (pictured) remains in lockdown but racing could resume on Wednesday

The BHA has received criticism from some trainers, who have accused them of over-reacting to the situation and pointed to the fact that Flu is endemic in the UK equine population.

But the BHA have hit back saying their actions have been driven by veterinary advice. They also pointed out that the Animal Health Trust had confirmed that a non-thoroughbred, unvaccinated horse had had to be humanely euthanized after having contracted the EI virus.

Sykes added: ‘It remains paramount that, for the sake of our horse population, we do not take any unnecessary risks. This is not a common cold, it is a highly contagious and potentially serious disease.’