Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) Stewards have this morning been notified by trainer Leigh Miles that there are some concerns that horses in the stable may be displaying possible signs of a viral infection. Mr Miles has a number of runners, namely ‘Wattabout Rioli’, ‘Wemen Apple’ and ‘Be Good Juddy’ engaged to race tomorrow night at the Cranbourne harness racing meeting, Thursday 19 April 2018.
The Leigh Miles Stable have reported that the above mentioned runners are not displaying elevated temperatures or other signs of a viral infection, however stable veterinarian Dr Alison Miles has recommended blood samples be collected from the horses for the purpose of precautionary analysis.
In accordance with Australian Harness Racing Rule (AHRR) 196B(1) which states:
196B. (1) A person shall not without the permission of the Stewards within one (1) clear day of the commencement of a race administer, attempt to administer or cause to be administered an injection to a horse nominated for that race.
(2) For the purposes of this Rule –
(b) Administering an injection to a horse means the use of a hypodermic needle or other instrument to introduce or extract any substance from the horse.
The HRV Stewards have given permission for blood samples to be taken from ‘Wattabout Rioli’, ‘Wemen Apple’ and ‘Be Good Juddy’ by a registered veterinarian within one clear day of the race for the above purposes. The extraction occurred this morning under the supervision of a HRV Steward.
The results of the blood analysis should be known by mid-morning tomorrow, with the results of such notified publicly as soon as possible.
In allowing this timeframe the HRV Stewards are mindful of the lack of any emergency runners in the relevant races.
