Bengaluru
Racing at the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) will remain suspended through the Winter Season after the National Research Centre on Equines (NRCE), Hisar, requested a fresh round of samples from nine horses for additional testing, even as it cleared 11 others of suspected glanders infection.
The uncertainty began earlier this month when veterinarians at the Government Veterinary Hospital in Hebbal detected possible glanders symptoms in five BTC horses. Given the severity of the disease — a highly infectious and often fatal bacterial illness affecting horses, donkeys and mules — the club immediately forwarded around 20 samples to NRCE, the country’s nodal body for diagnosing major zoonotic and equine diseases.
The results arrived on Wednesday. While more than half the horses were confirmed negative, NRCE advised BTC to resend nasal swabs and serum samples for nine horses to enable further investigation.
“We sent 20 samples to NRCE in Hisar because they are the nodal agency for determining outbreaks of any zoonotic or epidemic-related animal diseases in the country. Of the 20, 11 were declared negative,” BTC steward Shankar Balu said. “For the remaining nine, they have asked us to collect samples in triplicate once again.”
On whether the nine horses had tested positive, Balu clarified that NRCE had not issued a confirmation but simply sought additional samples to rule out any ambiguity. The club, he added, would comply immediately, as glanders testing involves stringent protocols before a definitive diagnosis is made.
The continued suspension has left the Winter Season in limbo, affecting trainers, jockeys, owners and associated staff. BTC officials said they will resume racing only after receiving complete clearance from NRCE, as any confirmed case could trigger mandatory quarantine and culling procedures under national biosecurity rules.
For now, the racing community waits — and hopes the next set of reports brings clarity.