Breeding & Racing Magazine

Aust Officials React To Melb Cup Quarantine Fears

Australian racing officials have "moved fast to quell European fears that extra quarantine restrictions would make it impractical to send runners down under for the Melbourne Cup," reported racingpost.co.uk. Racing Victoria's Leigh Jordon "has spoken to Ballydoyle in the light of concerns Aidan O'Brien raised on Wednesday & he has vowed to approach the Government if necessary, in order to ensure runners are able to cross the world for the the spring carnival". The new restrictions follow recommendations by the Callinan Inquiry into last year's equine influenza outbreak & Coolmore's trainer O'Brien (who has entered 15 horses for the Melbourne spring carnival) "hinted they might disrupt preparations so much as to make it not worthwhile travelling". Jordon reacted bluntly: "I think Aidan's are quite sensible comments & very valid. We need to get to the bottom of it. I have already spoken to Ballydoyle, to the vet John Halley, and hopefully we can sort through the issues. I have been to Ballydoyle: it is a magnificent facility & for the last 2 years they have quarantined horses & brought them out to the Melbourne Cup with no issues. It has been done before, so I don't see why it can't be done again. Of course we have to protect the country from disease; but if the quarantine restrictions are impractical & they are a bit over the top, we need to approach the Government & talk to them about it because we don't want Aidan not coming here because of restrictions that aren't practical. We don't want to lose Aidan: he is making headlines around the world & he has put a record amount of nominations into our spring features; for us that is recognition of where our racing sits." Jordon added: "But it is not just Aidan. We have entries from Sir Michael Stoute, Luca Cumani, Andre Fabre, Godolphin, Dermot Weld. We have entries from leading trainers round the world & this is something we are not taking lightly." Jordon stressed it would be "damaging for Australian racing if overseas runners were not able to compete in Melbourne this autumn," noting: "From our angle, we are the racing administrators & we want international competition: it is integral for our racing to be recognised worldwide. It is not only a horse running in the Melbourne Cup or whatever, but it is the future export of our racing round the world & investment into Australia. So it has a wide-ranging impact. It is not just the carnival, there is a bigger picture here: the way the world is heading with co-mingling & investment." Jordon summed up: "We probably had the biggest outbreak of disease in Australian history, so there is going to be a tightening up of things. But we have had horses come from Europe in the past & they have been quarantined at Ballydoyle & elsewhere & everything has worked fine. So I can't see why it can't continue that way."