Snotty noses lay low Lincoln Farms’ team - virus sweeping northern stables

Lincoln Farms has fallen victim to a seasonal virus sweeping northern stables which threatens to impact on field sizes in the next couple of weeks.

All three of Lincoln Farms’ two-year-olds who raced at Alexandra Park on Friday night came back with snot coming out their noses, Sugar Apple, Argyle and Major Grace all racing below expectations.

And Lincoln Farms’ two runners at Cambridge on Sunday, Captain Nemo and Themightyserina, were scratched showing symptoms of the virus.

Cambridge trainers, including Nicky Chilcott, Arna Donnelly and Matty White are also battling the virus which is rapidly spreading in a hot and dusty environment.

Trainer Ray Green didn’t need to wait until he heard a report from the drivers of his charges on Friday to know they had the bug.

Green had predicted Sugar Apple would go a big race but when the colt dropped out of the trail in the run home to finish seventh he knew immediately what was wrong.

Driver Andrew Drake said Sugar Apple felt good until the sprint went on when he found nothing.

“We knew we had a problem but these ones were clean before the race and we thought they were fine, but obviously not,” Green said.

“Every second horse in the stable has a virus and containing it is nigh on impossible. This time of year, with a lot of dust around, it’s ideal for incubation.

“I don’t think it’s a terrible one - it doesn’t appear to be in their lungs, just the upper respiratory tract - but it’s enough to dull their performance.”

Stewards noted that second favourite, southerner Casino Action, who weakened to last on Friday night, was found to have symptoms of respiratory inflammation after the race. The winner of the first two-year-old race just two weeks earlier is stabled with Derek Balle at Pukekohe.

Green says Lincoln Farms horses have had symptoms for two or three weeks.

“I’m hoping that by the end of this coming week we can shake it. We’ve been very aggressive since Friday night and will continue to be.”

Green has bought in copious quantities of the go-to antibiotic angiomycin, the only suitable drug without a withholding time.

There’s been such a run on the drug at least one Cambridge vet had run out of it last week.

“Hopefully we can kick it into touch quickly but it’s set us back a week to a week and a half because you’ve got to back off them, you can’t mess around with it.”

Copy That … slight setback with virus. PHOTO: Trish Dunell.Stable stars have the bug

Green says stable stars Copy That and American Dealer both have the virus and plans to trial them this week have been canned.

“They’re still jogging but won’t be asked to stretch out until we know the virus is gone. Luckily we still have a little bit of time up our sleeve.”

Copy That is being prepared for the Group III $28,500 Lincoln Farms Cup (mobile 2200m) on February 26 the same night American Dealer is due to contest the $14,500 Woodlands Stud Northern Derby Prelude (mobile 2200m).

Green fears even without the virus, the ATC might struggle to get the Lincoln Farms’ Cup off the ground with a number of open regulars recently sent to Australia including Star Galleria, Mach Shard, Triple Eight and Bad To The Bone.

The following week Copy That has the Group II $47,500 City Of Auckland Free-for-all (mobile 2200m) and American Dealer the Group I $200,000 Woodlands Stud Northern Derby (mobile 2700m).

Derby night also sees the Young Guns finals, races which Green still hopes his reps, including Friday’s sixth-placed Argyle, can make.