The Emirates Racing Authority has said it is “extremely unlikely” that the case of strangles identified in a horse trained by Marco Botti earlier this week originated in the UAE.
An unidentified Marco Botti-trained horse that had campaigned in Dubai over the carnival tested positive for strangles after its return to Newmarket. It is the first case of strangles in the town since 2009, and the ERA said there has not been an outbreak in the UAE for more than 10 years, “and there were no signs suggestive of strangles at any time in horses participating in the Dubai International Racing Carnival.”
The statement continued, “It should be noted that the apparent symptoms of strangles were not identified until 14 days after the horse arrived back at Newmarket. This would indicate that the horse was infected post departure from the UAE. As a precautionary measure, blood samples taken from the applicable horse during its stay in the UAE and prior to its departure are currently being analyzed for strangles. The ERA will release the results once the analysis is complete as final confirmation that the horse in question was clear of the contagion before it left the UAE.”
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