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  • Japanese Horses Exempt from Scans

    Tuesday, 29th June 2021

    In related news that will no doubt ruffle the feathers of connections of European stayers, Racing Victoria has also confirmed that horses travelling from Japan for the Melbourne spring will be exempt from the scan requirements for European horses. “Based on our historical review of international horses that have travelled here, the European horses have presented with a greater risk of upper body injuries than the Japanese horses,” Dr Grace Forbes told Victoria's racing.com. There was some speculation that Japanese horses wouldn’t be able to come if they needed this scan but this difference in requirements due to historical data overcomes that issue. “Due to philosophical decisions taken by the Japanese Government following World War 2 regarding the importation of such materials into the country, scintigraphy is not currently possible in Japan. We understand that the JRA have been making representations to their Government about a desire to introduce the technology into Japan to enhance their veterinary capabilities. Our position with the Japanese horses is that we reserve the right to undertake a scintigraphy test when the horse arrives here in Australia if deemed appropriate at the time.”

    Lys Gracieux

    Lys Gracieux won the 2019 Cox Plate for Japan (pic: Mark Gatt)