Equine Influenza Outbreak Halts Australian Racing

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) _ Racetracks across Australia were all but shut down Saturday, the country's richest horse race is in doubt and losses could total more than a billion dollars after an outbreak

Saturday, August 25th 2007, 5:53 pm

By: News On 6

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) _ Racetracks across Australia were all but shut down Saturday, the country's richest horse race is in doubt and losses could total more than a billion dollars after an outbreak of equine influenza.

The highly contagious equine virus was discovered in 11 non-racehorses at the Centennial Park complex adjoining Sydney's Royal Randwick racecourse. Five horses at a second Sydney facility also showed symptoms of the disease.

Racing was canceled Saturday across Australia except on the island state of Tasmania and in the Northern Territory as agriculture officials expanded to 6 miles an exclusion zone around the Centennial Park stables and banned all movement of horses within New South Wales state.

New Zealand officials later banned imports of Australian horses, and the Melbourne Cup, traditionally held on the first Tuesday in November, was in danger of being postponed.

In 1986, an equine flu outbreak in South Africa forced that nation's racing industry to close down for five months. Melbourne's leading trainer, David Hayes, said Saturday that the Melbourne Cup may need to postponed by a month.

There were also concerns about security at next week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, which President Bush is scheduled to attend in Sydney. Police horses, stationed at Centennial Park, near the private stables where the 11 cases have been reported, were quarantined Saturday.

The disease is not infectious to humans, but can be carried on clothing worn by veterinary staff or stable workers, raising fears that the disease could spread to other horses beyond Sydney even if horses are quarantined.

Agricultural Minister Peter McGauran said the equine flu outbreak was the biggest risk ever faced by the Australian thoroughbred industry.

``We've never had an introduction of influenza in the equine population of Australia ever before ... If it was to escape beyond the stable of the horses in Centennial Park, it would have a devastating effect on the horse population,'' McGauran said.

Equine influenza was first detected Thursday at separate facilities in New South Wales and Victoria, where some of the world's most valuable thoroughbred stallions had been imported from Britain for the Australian breeding season.

The imported stallions were to serve some 30,000 mares during the course of the season, and their unavailability _ coupled with the cancellation of race meetings _ was forecast to cost the racing industry billions of dollars.

Most of the impounded horses are thoroughbred stallions with an estimated collective value of more than $400 million.

Among those quarantined were top sires Encosta De Lago, Rock Of Gibraltar, Choisir, Danehill Dancer and Holy Roman Emperor.

Equine influenza is a highly contagious respiratory disease that knocks any horse out of action for two to three weeks with a fever, hacking cough, nasal discharge and tiredness. It can be fatal in foals and virtually all horses exposed to the virus become sickened, making it particularly dangerous _ and costly _ for the racing community.

Last weekend, officials in Japan shut down racing in that nation because of equine flu.