Tracks closing as more stringent rules prevent trainers working horses in Covid lockdown

Trainers’ hopes that they can keep exercising horses during the Covid-19 lockdown have been dashed with the Ministry of Primary Industries ruling this afternoon that all horses must be spelled unless paddocks cannot be found for them.

Last night New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and Harness Racing New Zealand issued trainers and track operators with an exhaustive list of rules to follow to allow horses to be worked, protocols approved by the MPI.

That led to tracks like Cambridge Raceway and Franklin Park preparing systems for how and when horses would be worked. Trainers, anxious for owners to not have to wait months before racing their charges again, were also going through the myriad of paperwork involved.

But today even more restrictive requirements were inserted into the list and already this has led to the closure of the Cambridge galloping and harness tracks.

Other gallops courses believed to have closed include Matamata, Hawke’s Bay, Waipa, Rotorua, Counties and Tauranga.

The new directive makes it clear that the provision for exercising horses is only there to ensure the continued welfare of horses.

Trainers with treadmills cannot exercise horses on the track.NZTR stipulated today that light ridden exercise is only permitted if three requirements are satisfied:

• The trainer is unable to identify an agistment property within an hour’s drive that can take the horse
• The horse is boxed because there are no suitable yards or paddocks on the trainer’s facility and
• The stable lacks a horse walker or treadmill.

Even if those three conditions were met, no galloping or fast work was allowed.

Further, the directive forbade the education of young horses on the grounds of personal safety while the public health system is dedicated to combatting COVID-19.

CEO David Branch said Cambridge Raceway was now closed despite preparations having been made to enable four trainers on the course to continue working some horses.

Originally the main track was to have closed, leaving the jog track which would be conditioned only on Monday mornings and Wednesday afternoons.

Branch, however, said none of the trainers could have satisfied all three new conditions.

“Our trainers all have paddocks and I know some of them were hoping to break in young ones, but that’s out now too.”

All horses must spell

Branch said in an email to trainers he had just heard that MPI had changed tack and now required all horses to be spelled.

“The new government rules will state that horses can only be exercised if they cannot be put out in a paddock to spell (i.e they are contained to a box or small yard).

“We are allowing horses to be left in paddocks to spell at Cambridge Raceway for the duration of the lockdown however the jog track must not be used from now on under any circumstances.

“I know this will be disappointing to some of you who were hoping to carry on in some capacity but I can assure you that HRNZ has been doing its best by working closely with MPI to come up with a workable solution – one which they thought they had secured up until 2:30pm this afternoon.

“This new decision will obviously have a big impact on when racing can start up again but I would expect that as soon as we go down to level 3 we can resume training.”

HRNZ said the communication sent yesterday was done in good faith, with all the information it had to hand, however the situation had now changed and it implored all licence-holders to comply.

“Clearly this new development will mean that racing will not resume until some time after the alert level 4 is lifted by the Government as there will not be sufficient horses available to conduct race meetings. We understand the impact this will have on everyone.”

Trainer Stephen Marsh has vacated all his horses from the Cambridge track which has closed.Cambridge gallops trainer Stephen Marsh was busy this afternoon notifying all his owners that the track had been closed and their horses were having to leave the course.

“We were hoping to be able to keep the horses ticking over and Government had given us permission but there was a lot of outside pressure wanting us in complete lockdown.”

NZTR CEO Bernard Saundry this morning made it clear that training racehorses was not an essential business but the welfare of the animals was.

“NZTR made representation to MPI to allow for the care of our horses to continue but these steps were taken purely for animal welfare purposes.”

Today’s development is certain to provide further worries for trainers, already desperate not to lose owners. With most horses now in the paddock for at least a month, and possibly longer, and several months of work ahead of them before they are race fit, many are expected to opt out.