Daily Racing Thread Thursday 7th. Feb. 2019

Steepledowns and Portman Park it is, will try get some info!!!!

Na on a serious note, fingers crossed everyone has acted quick and we can get this sorted ASAP. I reckon it will be another 2 weeks at least until racing commences, Cheltenham should be fine but imagine it will be a bit less horse numbers and we'll get some weird winners / priced winners. Hope all horses are ok and everything can get back to normal ASAP

 

No word on the public gallops closing just yet. There are no suspected cases in Newmarket at the moment, the case in the AHT report is in a local village about 5 miles away in unbroken 2yos so they won’t have been near the gallops. The only concern is that Newmarket trainer John Berry had a runner at Ludlow yesterday so obviously he is under quarantine, but he is adamant that he did not encounter Donald McCain’s horse.

A few trainers have closed their private gallops to outsiders and most of the NH yards have their own facilities.

 

John Berry's horse was in the first race and McCain's was in the last so entirely possible that Berry's was gone before McCain's arrived. As it happens I know the owner of the McCain horse (I only know 2 people who own racehorses) so I'll make some enquiries.

 

Donald McCain has put out a statement saying the horses that raced yesterday were I. Good health and there is no suggestion they have flu.

Personally I think he is more than a little responsible for this. If he had the slightest suspicion that he had flu in his yard (which he obviously did as he says he notified BHA and requested flu tests) then he should have withdrawn all of his runners. You can’t tell me that his suspicions about flu were only raised yesterday morning after his runners had left the yard, they will have been off-colour and coughing/had runny noses/temperatures for a few days in order for him to become suspicious.

 

My view of McCain in general terms is largely unprintable. A member of the extended family - a young apprentice jockey - was treated appallingly by him and his wife when she decided to move on due to a lack of opportunities that had been promised. Integrity is not a word with which he is that familiar.

 

I’ve heard similar.

 

Surely under European law horses being transported have to have a passport and up to date vacs I know this because when we go to competitions you have to provide the docs.

 

Yes competition horses/those travelling need up to date vacs, but the vast majority of horses in the UK are privately owned pleasure horses/riding school horses who don’t travel. There is no legal requirement for them to be vaccinated against flu, in fact it’s estimated that 70% of the non-Racing population are not vaccinated against it.

For some people it’s a financial decision - if you own/run a riding school with 50 horses who never leave the premises, paying £40 per horse for a flu vaccine is a big chunk of money each year.

 

Thanks for sharing Reebs - my little one came home from school this week with a project to do on Pandas so I took it as a sign and followed you in

 

My understanding - and I could well be wrong - is that British horses are vaccinated because the virus is endemic here, but Irish horses aren't because it's not endemic over there.

 

The lad who works for Karen McLintock and give me TWIGGY, last week, has given me one for the flat season. ROSE TINTED SPIRIT.. He has come back from his holidays looking absolutely fantastic, he's filled out nicely, as well. I'll get the nod when it's time to have a few pennies on it...

 

There are 7 yards affected in Newmarket, including Charlie Appleby. They’ve been told by Jockey Club Estates they can only use the public gallops after midday to avoid contact with other yards. Godolphin will be unaffected as they have their own private gallops.

https://www.racingpost.com/news/equ...nd-many-restricted-access-to-the-heath/365437

 

Wherever you have horses you have equine flu. I can’t see this issue being resolved quickly.

 

He's let me use this. Here's Rose Tinted Spirit. He said that they think Cheltenham might not even be on.

please log in to view this image

 

They have now tested 2100 horses, 720 results and all negative, if the trend continues i believe racing will be back by the weekend. Only 3 new cases have been positive and they are all at D. McCain's yard.

 

Haven't been to any since Amanda's accident but certainly that was the case and I can't imagine there would have been any slackening