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BRISBANE - The Queensland racing industry has been plunged into crisis with two cases of EI in racehorses trained at Doomben.
Six horses stabled with Peter Hulbert at Hendra near the city track showed clinical signs of horse flu and further tests have been sent to Geelong for official confirmation.
Doomben and neighbouring Eagle Farm racecourse were locked down and yesterday's trackwork sessions cancelled at both venues.
It is now feared racing in Brisbane could be shut down for several months if the two Hendra cases are confirmed as positive.
The first cases of EI in racehorses in Brisbane follows startling revelations from leading trainers on the Gold Coast concerning the lack of adequate biosecurity protocols at the Gold Coast Turf Club.
One leading trainer said the club had held two flea markets at the racecourse over the past two weekends which may have breached Department of Primary Industry protocols.
"A lot of the people with stalls at these markets come from Tamborine and Canungra where it's riddled with EI," said one leading Gold Coast trainer.
The trainer also said it was common knowledge two farriers had visited other infected premises at Beaudesert without undertaking disinfection procedures before attending to horses stabled at the Gold Coast.
"This so-called lockdown means nought to some of these people," the trainer said.
Queensland Racing Limited (QRL) chief operations manager Malcolm Tuttle was dumbfounded when told of the possible breaches occurring at the Gold Coast. "This is mind boggling. I mean, people undertaking equine activities have to exercise all biosecurity protocols. They must know that," Tuttle said.
Tuttle said more than 500 horses were trained at Eagle Farm and Doomben and the outbreak would have devastating consequences for the Queensland economy.
"Racing is worth A$110 million in wagering alone in Queensland and it contributes much more to the state economy," he said.
"This is the worst possible news for Queensland.
"At this stage it looks like we'll be out of action for at least October and November in Brisbane and that means the Magic Millions at the Gold Coast is now in serious doubt of being held, even next February."
QRL chairman Bob Bentley was stunned when informed of the possible protocol breaches and warned racing at Eagle Farm and Brisbane could be shut down for up to five months for horses trained at the venue.
"We could possibly put a meeting on at some stage for horses not trained at Eagle Farm and Doomben, but that's a long, long way off," he said.
The first outbreak of EI in Brisbane racehorses follows the lockdown of stables at Sydney's Randwick Racecourse last month and the latest discovery of the disease at Warwick Farm.
Tuttle earlier confirmed 7000 vials of vaccine would be made available from Saturday as the state begins to inoculate against the disease in south-east Queensland.
AAP
