Racing NSW bans horses travelling from Victoria after border shutdown
The movement of horses between NSW and Victoria will be restricted as Racing NSW stewards react to the border shutdown, but Queensland officials have left the door open.
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The second wave of coronavirus occurring in Victoria has forced Racing NSW stewards to ban horses south of the border from competing in the state for what could be at least six weeks.
In a decision which could have ramifications for the Sydney and Melbourne spring carnivals later this year, stewards have banned any racehorses stabled in Victoria from being transported into NSW.
NSW-trained horses can still be transported over the border to race or be stabled in Victoria but will not be allowed to return until the ban is lifted.
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When the entire nation went into lockdown in late March, racehorse movements were still allowed between states provided strict biosecurity protocols were followed.
“The previous protocols which permitted the transfer of horses from Victoria have now been rescinded until further notice,’’ Racing NSW chief steward Marc Van Gestel said.
Albury trainers are hugely impacted.
Mitchell Beer had to act quickly and get many of his staff that live across the Murray River in Wodonga into temporary accommodation in NSW.
“It’s been the worst day since I’ve started training,” Beer said on Wednesday. “I had to ask seven of my staff to go home, pack a bag and come over here or they didn’t have a job.
“It’s something you never envisage happening but my staff have been terrific and they chose the horses over a comfortable life on the other side of the bridge.”
Despite likely six-week disruption, Beer said it was a sacrifice his staff were willing to make to ensure the future of the racing which was the only sport in Australia to survive the first wave of COVID-19 earlier in the year.
“For the sake of the whole industry, if this is what we’ve got to do to keep it going then so bit it, but it’s all fallen on us,” Beer said. “If it’s a sacrifice that we have to make so that tens of thousands of people in NSW stay employed than we’ll do it.”
The spring carnival in Sydney doesn’t ramp up until the Missile Stakes on August 8 and the first Group 1, the Winx Stakes, is run two weeks later.
If the strict lockdowns in Victoria work like they did earlier in the year, punters should see Victorian horses come up to Sydney for the early spring features.
Goulburn trainer Kurt Goldman was thrilled to be able to get Intuition to Melbourne for Saturday’s Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes at Caulfield but faces uncertainty when the ex-Godolphin sprinter can return to NSW.
Intuition will travel on Wednesday night but the plan was to return to Goulburn on Sunday.
Goldman still intends to send Intuition to Melbourne despite the risk of the five-year-old gelding becoming stranded.
“I don’t think we can shy away from taking the horse down (to Victoria) because two weeks after the Monash is the Bletchingly, which is another Group 3 race at Caulfield,” he said on RSN on Wednesday morning.
“Ideally for us and the owners the horse is going to be best off going down there.
“It just going to depend on how it’s going to affect me later on leading into a race such as The Kosciuszko (on October 17).”
Earlier, Goldman initially feared not being able to race the new stable star at Caulfield but those concerns were allayed on Tuesday, with approved horse transport companies given the green light to travel interstate under strict COVID-19 guidelines. Goldman’s $55,000 recycled racehorse will be stabled with Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr at Caulfield.
Meantime, Victorian horses can still race in Queensland and travel north for this month’s Magic Millions sale. Racing Queensland confirmed new guidelines would be in place from Friday and apply to staff from Victoria rather than horses.
“In line with the Queensland government’s border restrictions, interstate participants will be permitted to access venues from midday on Friday, July 10, excluding Victorian participants or any participant who has entered Victoria in the past 14 days,” a spokesman said.
“Where government regulations allow, Victorian horses will be permitted to travel to Queensland, however, any licensed or registered personnel, or essential personnel (being those currently approved for access to race meetings and training centres) are not permitted to travel with such horses.”
Victorian horses can travel through NSW provided they do not stop at a racecourse, stable or licensed premises to reach Queensland. This is a relief for Magic Millions, which has 15 Victorian vendors selling stock at this month’s Magic Millions National Sale.
“The biggest issue for Victorian farms is they have to find people to look after them and sell them here,” MM managing director Barry Bowditch said.
While Victorian licensees remain locked out, the changes mean trainers across the NSW border can travel with their horses to Queensland for the first time since COVID restrictions were put in place.
Murwillumbah-based trainer Matt Dunn had cut back considerably on his Queensland runners since the COVID crisis began and is looking forward to getting back to his previous level of presence here from Friday.
Dunn said that even though his horses had been permitted to race in Queensland, the logistics of him or a stable representative not being on track made it very difficult.
“We can start to compete again. It was just too hard,” he said.
“A lot of those horses that would have been racing in Brisbane have been in Sydney, so it will be good to have Queensland as a viable option again.”
Racing Victoria on Monday night sought advice on horse transport companies – already approved to travel between states under strict industry protocols – around permits and travel exemptions.
Since March, persons arriving in Victoria from out of state have been prohibited from attending a racecourse, training centre and Licensed Premises for at least 14 days.
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Stables in Victoria and NSW now face significant planning around staff and logistics to be able to compete interstate. Godolphin was on Monday night awaiting confirmation from Goldners transport about moving about a months’ worth of horses between states.
Chris Waller‘s racing manager Charlie Duckworth was sympathetic towards the small stables who would be most affected by the closure.
“We’re really lucky because we’ve got a permanent base in each of the three states that we race in so in terms of moving staff around we don’t have to,” Duckworth said.
“The smaller trainers suffer more … It makes things pretty tricky trying to train a horse without your staff or anything.”
Meanwhile, Racing Victoria has ruled owners in metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire cannot attend meetings because of the stage three pandemic restrictions.
Owners living outside these areas can attend Victorian meetings only if racecourses are in areas where stage three restrictions do not apply.