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Originally Posted by _ed_
Moonee Valley's been called off for the day too, this is really serious.
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Jesus. Scary stuff.
UPDATE SATURDAY - All racing in Australia called off 25 Aug 2007
By Rob Burnet
UPDATE 11.50AM SATURDAY, AUGUST 25TH, 2007: All racing in Australia has been called off with first news late on Saturday morning that racing at Moonee Valley and Warracknabeal in Victoria, and racing in South Australia, has been called off late on Saturday morning in response to the equine influenza (EI) outbreak at Sydney’s Centennial Park stables.
Secondly news came through just before mid-day that racing in Perth, and all harness racing in Australia, has been called off.
Eleven recreational horses, believed to be ponies, tested positive to EI late on Friday night and this was confirmed on Saturday morning. The NSW state government immediately shut down all racing in NSW to prevent additional horse movement.
Racing has also been shut down in Queensland due to the outbreak, as well as the week’s wet weather in SE Queensland.
With horses from Randwick, which is locked down as it is within a 5k exclusion zone of Centennial Park, have this week travelled to Victoria to prepare for the 2007 Victorian Spring Racing Carnival.
“The risk involved far outweighs the consequences and we have to take steps to protect the horse industry in South Australia,” said Graham Lock, TRSA chief steward.
Racing NSW chief steward Ray Murrihy confirmed that at least two sport horses from Centennial Park stables have been at shows in Maitland and Parkes.
“Everything will depend on reports coming in, but there are reports of a couple of horses showing signs of EI and we have to wait for the tests,” said Murrihy.
Murrihy said that the movement of vehicles and people from the Sydney Eastern Creek quarantine facility was being checked.
“We have to remain optimistic that we will keep it out of the thoroughbred industry,” he added.
Murrihy said that meetings with state officials from the NSW Ministry of Primary Industries and other officials were ongoing throughout Saturday.