Almost exactly 11 months ago, on 7 February 2019, racing woke up to the news that ‘everything’s off’. Three horses in Donald McCain’s yard, all of which had been vaccinated against equine flu, had tested positive for an American strain of the virus and British racing went into lockdown for the next six days as the British Horseracing Authority worked to contain the outbreak.
Labs worked around the clock to test thousands of swabs, and in all, 23 meetings were lost as a result, including Newbury’s Betfair Hurdle card on 9 February, probably the most important British meeting in the run-up to the Cheltenham Festival. The Betfair Hurdle and Denman Chase were run at Ascot on 16 February but the Game Spirit Chase was among many dozens of races lost, and the effects of the outbreak continued for some trainers well after racing had resumed.
New vaccination rules required all runners to have had a jab within the previous nine months, forcing some yards to re-vaccinate horses that had received their most recent injection the previous summer. That, in turn, affected some prep regimes for the Festival, as freshly vaccinated horses need a few easy days to recover.
All in all, it was, as Nicky Henderson put it, a “bizarre” way to approach the biggest meeting of the year. So, with the anniversary of Flu Day fast approaching, what are the chances that it might happen again?
The bad news is that where infectious diseases are concerned, very little is truly impossible. The good news, though, is that while last year’s outbreak followed a spike in cases of equine flu in the wider – often unvaccinated – horse population, there is no sign as yet of a similar jump in numbers this year.
The BHA, of course, is taking nothing for granted, and urges all trainers to remain vigilant.
“We are in regular contact with the Animal Health Trust regarding cases of equine flu in the wider horse population,” a spokesman for the Authority said this week. “At present we are not aware of a similar ‘spike’ in cases of equine flu in the wider horse population as that which preceded the outbreak in racing last year. However, it is essential that trainers remain vigilant, keep vaccinations up to date and observe good biosecurity procedures.”
In terms of vaccinations, ‘up-to-date’ is still within nine months, although a recent decision at European level in racing’s admin structure could mean that jabs every six months will become the norm from 2021. The measure is currently out for ‘consultation’ with trainers, whose businesses will need to absorb the added costs and possible inconvenience of more regular vaccinations.
“The BHA has been in ongoing contact with trainers since February last year in order to keep them up to speed with the situation regarding vaccination requirements,” the spokesman said. “Following the outbreak in February we put in place a temporary requirement that any horse competing must have a compliant equine influenza vaccination within nine calendar months of the day of a race.
“This temporary requirement will be in place for the duration of 2020. In the meantime, we will be carrying out a consultation on changes to the permanent EI [Equine Influenza] vaccination rule to be implemented from 2021. Other European racing jurisdictions will be carrying out similar consultations in 2020, with the aim of achieving harmonised vaccination requirements for racehorses across Europe.”
So it seems that the ultimate legacy of the six racing-free days in Britain last year may well be a racehorse population across Europe with an even stronger barrier against flu infection. It felt more like six weeks, but if there is less chance that it will happen again, in the end it was a small price to pay.
Wednesday’s best bets
On today’s cards, Rolling Dylan (1.15) is a decent price to win an interesting handicap chase at Ludlow as he returns to regulation fences after a couple of outings over Cheltenham’s cross-country circuit. He reportedly lost a shoe when only seventh last time out and his fifth place in the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown in April off a 6lb higher mark reads well in the context of today’s race.
Treasure Dillon (3.45) should also go well on the same card while course-and-distance winner Insurplus (4.30) stands out on the all-weather at Newcastle. Jim Goldie’s seven-year-old rarely runs a bad race at this track but struggled for racing room when only fifth last time out. He is another 1lb lower in the weights now and could also appreciate a drop back to seven furlongs. Barking Mad (5.45) and Jamacho (7.15) make most appeal at Kempton later.
Ludlow 12.45 Mick Pastor 1.15 Rolling Dylan (nb) 1.45 Treasure Dillon 2.15 Private Malone 2.45 Major Dundee 3.15 Fontaine Collonges 3.45 Catch Me Not
Newcastle 1.00 Greengage 1.30 Little Jo 2.00 Heath Charnock 2.30 Good Effort 3.00 Another Touch 3.30 Union 4.00 Etikaal 4.30 Insurplus (nap)
Kempton 4.15 Drop Kick Murphi 4.45 Bezzas Lad 5.15 Holy Eleanor 5.45 Barking Mad 6.15 Raining Fire 6.45 Soldier’s Minute 7.15 Jamacho 7.45 Prince Of Rome
