Australia's major studs have been rocked by confirmation that more than 30 of the world's leading shuttle stallions will be detained in quarantine for up to a month after the detection of a virus in one horse recently imported from Japan.
On a weekend dominated by news of the tragic death of Zafonic, the shuttle list was also reduced by the illness of Marju. The Last Tycoon son's season at Collingrove in Victoria was cancelled on Sept. 6 as the 14 year-old battled travel sickness.
The wait for more than 40 Thoroughbred shuttle stallions at Sydney's quarantine station will continue until samples from the standardbred Astreos are tested in his homeland Canada.
Shuttle stallions at Sydney's quarantine station are awaiting clearance after a virus scare. Results of tests conducted on blood samples taken from an unnamed Canadian harness-horse at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory at Geelong, Victoria, are expected within 24 hours.
Appalling livestock losses in England caused by the foot-and-mouth (FMD) outbreaks are unlikely to affect the general movement of shuttle stallions from Britain. The situation could change, however, if the measures taken by English authorities fail to control the disease over the next six to eight weeks.
