Racing Victoria finalises Spring Carnival vet rules for international competitors
Racing Victoria has slightly eased veterinary scanning requirements for international horses travelling to compete in races other than the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup.
RV introduced tough veterinary protocols in 2021 after a review of a series of equine welfare issues in the Melbourne Cup.
The measures have attracted criticism from several quarters, but RV noted the measures have ensured the last four Spring Racing Carnivals have been run without equine fatalities.
Requirements for horses competing in the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup remain largely unchanged but other competitors, both visiting or on one-way tickets, will only need to undergo one pre-travel CT scan.
Those horses will also no longer need further CT scans before every start in Australia.
For overseas horses competing in Victoria and local horses in the Melbourne Cup, RV has provided a second opportunity for scans should a mandatory CT scan identify a potential leg issue.
A follow-up Positron Emission Tomography (PET), which analyses bone or tissue lesions at a molecular level, will be available – time permitting – at the University of Melbourne Equine Centre at Werribee.
PET is a faster procedure, requiring less sedation than the previously used scintigraphy and produces enhanced 3D imagery compared to 2D
RV has now decreed that all final Melbourne Cup vet inspections for acceptors must be conducted in Victoria and will no longer be allowed to be done interstate.
RV has also improved its communication processes around the veterinary protocols, developing an online resource to explain the rules to interested parties and providing feedback directly to managing owners, as well as trainers, about horses deemed unsuitable to race.
'After each Carnival the protocols are evaluated to consider their application, ongoing suitability and any potential enhancements based on stakeholder feedback, our learnings, data and new technology,' RV chief executive Aaron Morrison said.
'What remains unchanged is that every international horse will have to pass a CT scan to compete here, however we're taking a more pragmatic approach with the volume of scans for those horses not entered in the Cups or Cox Plate.
'Importantly, all other veterinary oversight of the international horses remains in place to monitor them during the Spring Racing Carnival.
'Our goal remains to deliver world class racing, while ensuring the safety of horses and riders.
'We look forward to working with international and local connections to maintain the recent positive trend.'
The RV scanning requirements hit the headlines in April when David Hayes, trainer of sprinting superstar Ka Ying Rising, said it was 'madness' that the horse would need to undergo a compulsory CT scan in order to run at the Flemington carnival even if he pulled up well after the $20m The Everest at Randwick.
The rule saw Hayes declare the sprint gun would contest the Russell Balding Stakes after The Everest instead of venturing to Melbourne for the Champions Sprint during Melbourne Cup week.
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