High-profile training centre Macedon Lodge has been placed in lockdown following confirmation of a case of Strangles that threatens to derail the spring campaign of Melbourne Cup winner Knight’s Choice.
Racing Victoria has declared the facility an “infected place” after the highly contagious disease was found in an unraced three-year-old trained by John Symons and Sheila Laxon.
The Queensland-based training partnership has relocated to Macedon Lodge to prepare a small team spearheaded by the 2024 Melbourne Cup winner Knight’s Choice for the Victorian spring carnival.
Under an Australian rule of racing, all horses stabled at the centre must remain quarantined on the property that was once owned and used by leading owner Lloyd Williams as a blueprint for Melbourne Cup success.
Symons and Laxon reported to Racing Victoria stewards last week that several of their horses had presented with elevated temperatures.
Initial samples returned inconclusive results regarding the cause of the spike.
But further analysis on Wednesday confirmed the positive case.
Prominent trainer Liam Howley and pre-trainer Nelson Smyth also use Macedon Lodge, located 60km northwest of Melbourne.
Their horses must also remain isolated.
“Further testing will continue to take place next week, as previously announced, to ascertain whether there are any additional cases of Strangles within the horses at Macedon Lodge,” a Racing Victoria statement read.
“The results of those tests will help determine when horse movement from/to the training property may resume.
“Until then, all horses located at Macedon Lodge remain under the watchful eye of stable veterinarians and are not permitted to exit the premises without prior approval of the stewards.”
Knight’s Choice was trained from Macedon Lodge for his upset Melbourne Cup win.
After a stop-start year, the stayer resumed when midfield over an unsuitable distance at Moonee Valley on September 6, but the remainder of his campaign aimed at winning a second Cup has been thrown into disarray.
According to Racing Victoria, Strangles is an infectious bacterial condition transmitted through direct contact between individual horses or via indirect contact in several ways.
Contaminated feed, water, bedding, stables, stable utensils, halters, brushes, boots, clothing and transport vehicles are some of the ways the infection can spread.
Strangles usually causes upper respiratory tract disease, but can also affect the lungs. Although highly contagious, it is rarely fatal.
