Racing: Decision to scratch horses the correct one - veterinarian

New Zealand's Chief Veterinarian for Racing, Andrew Grierson, is comfortable with his decision to order the late scratching of two horses, Molly O'Reilly and Our Dan, from Hastings on Saturday amid a scare over the equine respiratory disease strangles.

Local trainer Tim Symes, who part owns and trains both horses, was angry the pair were taken out.

Symes, a committeeman of Hawkes Bay Racing, had been operating under a careful watch after one of his rural neighbours, Kay Cottle, discovered a horse with strangles three weeks ago.

He said he had been assured by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing officials that he would be free to operate provided he followed necessary guidelines.

But Grierson said the issue became very clear when another horse on Cottle's property last week produced a positive test to the highly contagious strangles.

"There was no way it could have been risked," Grierson told the Herald yesterday.

"Tim Symes' quote in a Sunday newspaper that his horses were fine because they hadn't shown an elevated temperature and that horses are only infectious when they had a fever is, essentially, not correct.

"In fact, it's never been conclusively proved when horses are contagious with strangles."

NZTR stewards ordered the horses late-scratched at 9am.

"A lot of trainers were very nervous," said Grierson.

A number of angry trainers contacted the Herald on Saturday morning before the horses were reported to be late-scratched.

Too much was at stake.

If Molly O'Reilly and Our Dan had been allowed to race and later proved positive to strangles, Australian racing and border control authorities would have been entitled to prevent any of the horses that raced at Hastings on Saturday from entering Australia to raceat the Melbourne spring carnival.

Candidates for the A$5.5 million Melbourne Cup, the likes of Daffodil, Six O'Clock News, Jungle Rocket, Mr Tispy, Harris Tweed and Hoorang, would have been barred from Australia.

"In this care you had to err on the side of caution," said Grierson. "You can't put an entire carnival at risk for the sake of two horses racing."