A significant issue has been averted after Racing Victoria
received government approval for 24 international horses to compete at Saturday
week's Caulfield Guineas meeting.
Racing Victoria had to apply to Australia's Department of Agriculture and Water
Resources (DAWR) for permission for the horses to be released from quarantine
on the scheduled October 13 despite the horses arriving at Werribee almost a
day late.
The flight carrying the horses was delayed in Sharjah after the plane sustained
a cracked windscreen, forcing a delay of 20 hours on the tarmac at the airport.
RV and the flight company IRT submitted reports and other paperwork for
consideration of DAWR before the department agreed quarantine protocols were
met during the delay.
The DAWR approval also means RV can clear out a barn at the Werribee quarantine
centre in time for the arrival of the second shipment of horses, which is due
to arrive on October 13.
The delay also threatened to delay the campaigns of Godolphin trio Jungle Cat,
Blair House and Folkswood, who had to restart their quarantine period as they
are housed in the same compound as some of the arrivals on the delayed flight.
"The Department were satisfied that the 19 horses affected by the damaged
airplane windscreen whilst in transit to Melbourne on the weekend were
maintained in conditions that managed the biosecurity risk during their lengthy
delay in Sharjah and throughout their flight to Australia," RV's international
manager Paul Bloodworth said in a statement.
"Subject to the horses being cleared of equine diseases following their
standard post-arrival testing, they will be permitted to compete in feature
races on Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas Day.
"We will be able to welcome our final shipment of European horses on the same
day without having to temporarily utilise any other quarantine facilities."
Below is a list of horses that will be eligible to run on Caulfield Guineas
day.
• Benbatl (Saeed bin Suroor)
• Best Solution (Saeed bin Suroor)
• Prize Money (Saeed bin Suroor)
• Blair House (Charlie Appleby)
• Comicas (Charlie Appleby)
• Cross Counter (Charlie Appleby)
• Emotionless (Charlie Appleby)
• Folkswood (Charlie Appleby)
• Hamada (Charlie Appleby)
• Jungle Cat (Charlie Appleby)
• Cliffs Of Moher (Aidan O'Brien)
• Fleet Review (Aidan O'Brien)
• Intelligence Cross (Aidan O'Brien)
• Spirit of Valor (Aidan O'Brien)
• Yucatan (Aidan O'Brien)
• Prince Of Arran (Charlie Fellowes)
• Dal Harraild (Ciaron Maher and David Eustace)
• Pharrell (Ciaron Maher and David Eustace)
• Casterton (Chris Waller)
• Finche (Chris Waller)
• Marathon Man (Mike Moroney)
• Sound Check (Mike Moroney)
• Danon Distance (Anthony Freedman)
• Langley (Darren Weir)
