Racing: Stable virus rules Danedream out of Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

Tuesday 2 October 2012

Danedream's bid for back-to-back wins in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on Sunday appears to be over after Cologne racecourse, where she is stabled, was placed in quarantine yesterday afternoon.

Danedream has been ruled out of Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on orders of vets in Germany. Picture: EPA

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White and Gold

The German track has been shut down for three months after a horse tested positive for an equine infection of the blood. All horses based at Cologne cannot leave the course, including Danedream, winner of the Longchamp feature 12 months ago.

Cologne racecourse general manager Benedikt Fassbender said: "It's a nightmare. We are the biggest training centre in Germany and one horse has tested positive for equine infectious anaemia [EIA]."We are now in quarantine for three months – no horses can come in to the track, and no horses can come out. It is a disaster, especially as Danedream, who has not been infected by the disease, cannot take part in the Arc at the orders of the vets. Every horse will be tested for the infection over the next few days."*For slightly less fashionable trainers to unearth a gem can be quite exciting, so Irishman Eddie Lynam's upbeat mood yesterday was understandable as he talked of keeping "the dream alive" with a horse named Viztoria, who was absolutely scintillating when winning at the Curragh at the weekend.The filly scooted up in her Naas debut for Ado McGuinness in July, after which she was switched to care of County Meath-based Lynam. She proved that initial effort was no fluke, ploughing through the Curragh mud to win the Blenheim Stakes by seven-and-a-half lengths under Johnny Murtagh, earning quotes of 20-1 for the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket next spring.Lynam said: We're delighted with her. We've only had her two months, but she'd been doing bridle work at home and had done everything right. We went to the Curragh expecting to win, but I thought it was a hell of a performance."The plan now is to go for a Group 2 at Maisons-Laffitte in early November, but if her coat has gone or we're not happy with her, we'll give it a miss and wait until next year."The dream is alive at the moment and that's what it's all about in this job."The one major question mark regarding Viztoria's classic claims is how she will handle a sound surface, having only encountered heavy conditions in her two starts over six furlongs.Lynam is hopeful she will be effective on quicker ground, and also expects the step up to a mile to be within her compass. "I genuinely don't know how she'll go on better ground," said the trainer, "but the way the weather has been in England and Ireland for the past couple of years, you're almost better off with a soft ground horse than a fast one."She's obviously very effective on softer ground, but she seems to handle the Polytrack at home very well, so that would give you hope she will go on better ground."I've trained a good few sprinters and she's not a sprinter. She might be able to sprint, but I'm pretty sure she'll get further. You would have to be very hopeful she will stay a mile."*Although today's meeting at Ayr has passed an inspection, it has been decided to abandon one six-furlong race.Officials inspected the track at noon yesterday and gave the meeting the green light, although they have called off the Talk To Victor Handicap with the ground is described as heavy.The head of PR at Ayr, Iain Ferguson, said: "The first race will now be 2.40pm, as we are not running the 3.10pm race, which was a 17-runner six-furlong handicap. That leaves us with a six-race card."There is a bad patch of ground about three-and-a-half furlongs out but there are less runners in the other races. "By abandoning the 3.10pm, that allows us to doll off that patch of ground. It was better to lose one race than the whole card and we're delighted to get the meeting on."

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Racing: Stable virus rules Danedream out of Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

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