Latest on the Equine Influenza (EI) outbreak 31/08/2007 And so an eerie silence fell across the land. The racecourses stood empty and deserted, long ago abandoned. The TABs, quieter still, not a regular to be seen , not a betting card out of place. For the dreaded EI had come to town. A punting vacuum worse than Christmas Day (cause at least you get presents), worse than Good Friday (cause at least you get hot cross buns), even worse than the post apocalypse Nuclear Winter (cause at least you can still bet on the cockroach races). A vicious attack on our god given constitutional right to carry concealed form guides, to drink in the rich tapestry of the flickering odds displays, and to utilize the democratic right to free speech to make sure everyone knows we backed that last winner. And so they emerged into this brave new world, staggering, blinking, trying to comprehend – leaving behind their refuges, refuges that now have lawns that are freshly mown, bathrooms that had never been cleaner, odd jobs from the 60s finally completed. The brave new world beckoned... Horses with a gear change of “Surgical face mask first time”… Jockeys having to scrub down and disinfect their saddles and riding gear before racing (though they can always pick up some extra cash in the local operating theatre between races)… Punters having to walk through decontamination showers before entering the race course (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing as personal hygiene can sometimes go a little astray)… The Melbourne Cup sponsored by Codral (solider on)…. An ELEVEN race program at Caulfield…. And a world where greyhound racing suddenly becomes vaguely interesting….The horror..