More Foreign Raiders Eye Cup

The Age

Friday September 26, 2008

By Andrew Eddy

THE first wave of international gallopers arrive in Melbourne tomorrow morning but there might be a flood of overseas competitors in the Melbourne Cup, as six more horses have entered quarantine in Europe.

Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien's travelling foreman, Andrew Murphy, confirmed in England yesterday that European stayers Septimus, Honolulu and Alessandra Volta had entered quarantine at Ballydoyle in preparation for the trip to the Melbourne.

Also entering quarantine in Ireland was Dermot Weld's mare Profound Beauty, while in England, stayers Yellowstone and Varevees have begun the mandatory two weeks in quarantine.

Godolphin's All The Good and a travelling partner are due to touch down at Tullamarine airport at 3.30 tomorrow morning, while Luca Cumani's pair, Mad Rush and Bauer, will arrive at 9am.

A negative test yesterday for equine influenza from a horse at the Eastern Creek quarantine centre has all but allayed fears of a second EI outbreak in Australia.

All 74 horses at a NSW quarantine station are being re-tested after one horse returned a positive result, but quarantine authorities are now terming the earlier positive sample as a "false positive".

But they are taking precautions and carrying out further testing in two separate laboratories for confirmation. All the horses will stay at the quarantine station until it is confirmed they are free of the disease.

© 2008 The Age

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