Testing times: Animal Health Trust faces backlog with 2,000 samples to process

The wide-ranging impact of the equine influenza shutdown on British racing was brought into sharp focus on Saturday morning with news around 2,000 samples taken from horses were being processed.

The Animal Health Trust in Newmarket has been flooded with samples from across the country with an estimated 700 of the 2,000 processed so far.

A much clearer perspective on the equine flu outbreak is expected from the BHA on Saturday as the backlog starts to clear and the results begin to filter out. A decision is due on Monday about whether racing will go ahead on Wednesday, and Saturday's results could prove integral.

Talking on ITV Racing's The Opening Show on Saturday morning, the BHA's chief regulatory officer Brant Dunshea said: "As of last night Animal Health Trust had received around 2,000 samples and analysed about 700 of those. We are hoping to be in a better position later today to have an understanding of the results and what that initial analysis looks like.

"There are a range of parameters we are constantly looking at [before a decision on when racing will restart will be made]. We are meeting with our committee every night and looking at information from the AHT. The decision will be made on how many yards and horses may been affected and what that transition back to racing will look like."

When asked on the prospects of the Cheltenham Festival going ahead as planned, Dunshea added: "It is business as usual in terms of planning for those big events."

Newbury could not stage its valuable Betfair Hurdle card on Saturday afternoon and clerk of the course Keith Ottesen said: "We raced on January 16 and were due to have a steam clean and disinfection of all stables, so that has been done anyway before this week happened.

"Peter Hobbs [inspector of courses at the BHA] told me all racecourses that have raced since February 2 are having to carry out a level two clean. That's a full clean, disinfection and re-bedding and that takes quite a few days to do.

"At Newbury we are going to go in the saddling boxes and give them a steam clean, the cooling down water troughs will get a sterilisation, and we will be carrying out some bio-security on all the equipment that comes in contact with the horses."

Trainer Ian Williams is among the stables under lockdown having had runners at the same venues as horses from the Donald McCain yard, where there have been six confirmed cases of equine flu.

Writing on his website, Williams said: "We have a thorough cleaning and disinfection process which is part of our routine, and we take temperatures of the horses. I have great confidence in this process.

"In a preventive measure we have given all of [our horses] a booster. I anticipate a shortage of these vaccines in the coming weeks."

He added: "The BHA has done a fantastic job in my opinion and taken correct procedures to contain the outbreak. My concern is the hunters, riding horses and ponies who are not restricted and in many cases are unvaccinated. These cause more of a threat to our sport than any of the racehorses in professional stables."

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