VETERINARY IMMUNOGENICS ARE BACK!

Article sponsored by veterinaryImmunogenics.com - WE'RE PLEASED TO MEET YOU!

Photography by Drew Stoecklein

An Exciting New Chapter for Hyperimmunised Plasma Therapy

After 30 years of providing the United Kingdom, Ireland and Europe with high-quality hyperimmunised equine plasma under the helm of Thomas and Eileen Barr, Veterinary Immunogenics has been acquired by Plasvacc UK Ltd. 

The company has officially transitioned to day-to-day management under General Manager Fergus Macarthur, who has overseen significant capital investment intended to bolster production capabilities of Veterinary Immunogenics’ Hypermune™ and Hypermune™-RE plasma treatments while still maintaining Veterinary Immunogenics' steadfast commitment to safety and quality. Both Veterinary Immunogenics’ Hypermune™ and Hypermune™-RE products are once again currently available, providing vets, trainers, and breeders with an important tool in treating Failure of Passive Transfer (FPT) in foals and Rhodococcus Equi infections as well as reducing hospitalisation and recovery times for other conditions.  

All products are thoroughly tested for IgG levels.

Additional investments have also been made to bolster Veterinary Immunogenics’ technical and customer support operations to provide a seamless customer experience. 

“With an impressive track record spanning three decades, we’re grateful for the tireless efforts of Dr Thomas Barr BVMS MRCVS and Eileen Barr to advance plasma-based equine veterinary medicine in the United Kingdom,” said Andrew Macarthur, CEO of Plasvacc UK Ltd. 

“A sure sign that Veterinary Immunogenics was a great fit for the Plasvacc Group of Companies was their unwavering commitment to product quality and exceptional customer service that closely mirrors our own. We’re very pleased to be adding the first-rate Veterinary Immunogenics employees to the Plasvacc Team,” continued Macarthur. 

As always, Veterinary Immunogenics’ 100% traceable, single-source, cell-free plasma is collected exclusively from our donor herd in the United Kingdom. All Veterinary Immunogenics products are thoroughly tested to accurately measure IgG levels, total protein, sterility and freedom from virus, providing unparalleled peace of mind. 

Founded in 1996 as Plasvacc Pty Ltd in Australia and expanded through Plasvacc USA Inc. in 2005. Plasvacc’s global companies manufacture and distribute high-quality hyperimmunised blood plasma products used to supplement the immune response system in animals. Firmly committed to animal ethics, and active in the communities it serves, Plasvacc prides itself in delivering the highest quality product possible while delivering unmatched customer service and technical support. 

To learn more about Plasvacc or Veterinary Immunogenics, please visit:

plasvacc.com (AUS) | plasvaccUSA.com (USA) | veterinaryimmunogenics.com (UK)

Racing in Switzerland - it's not just about racing on snow!

Article by Paull Khan

Think of racing in Switzerland, and the fabulous White Turf meeting on Lake St. Moritz probably comes to mind. This is no surprise, of course. The EMHF was fortunate to hold its General Assembly there in 2015, and for many of our delegates, including your columnist, it remains among the most memorable racing adventures of all. But there is so much more to racing in that country.

Sadly, St Moritz’s little sister track, which provided racing on the frozen lake at Arosa, is no longer with us. Weather conditions in recent years meant that there had become a worse than even-money chance of abandonment—a situation that was just not financially sustainable.

But the full roster of Swiss thoroughbred tracks still extends to seven. (Although one of the tracks, at Fehraltorf, which had upheld a 75-year tradition of racing over the Easter holiday, remains in a state of hiatus following an altercation last year with a neighbour farmer, who took the dramatic and disruptive decision to plough up the racing surface.)

Jump racing is the primary focus at Aarau and Maienfeld, while the flat dominates at Zurich-Dielsdorf, Frauenfeld (home of the Swiss Derby) and at the track that is the financial powerhouse of Swiss racing, Avenches.

This August saw celebrations for the 150th year of the Zurich race club, which coincided with 50 years of its current racecourse, at the small nearby town of Dielsdorf. A two-day festival was crafted, during which the 1500-metre, pancake-flat turf track staged 14 races: nine thoroughbred flat, two trotting and three pony. This left-hand track also boasts a jump course, but this is used infrequently these days.

Interwoven with the races, there was an appearance of the 250-year-old Bernese Dragoons, a mesmeric display from world-renowned Jean-Francois Pignon’s ‘free dressage’ horses, after-racing musical acts and, notably, a parade of former equine stars of Swiss racing showing off their expertise in new-found careers. Aftercare has long been a feature of Swiss racing. Horses tend to stay in training for longer than the norm on the flat, allowing the public to build up the kind of rapport with them normally associated with jump racing. In addition, they tend to race more frequently than in most countries, averaging nearly eight starts annually and this helps to buoy field sizes and makes for attractive, competitive racing generally.

The substantial crowds were engaged and relaxed, and it all made for a wonderfully rewarding racing experience.  

When it comes to funding, Swiss racing is swimming against the tide, in many ways akin to the experience in Belgium, described in the last issue of Trainer. This is because, with one principal exception, there is no opportunity for people within or outside the country to place bets on Swiss races unless they are on-track. The twin State-installed institutions (one French-language, the other German), which between them enjoy a betting monopoly, decline to include domestic racing within their product mix. The exception is Avenches, where the bulk of the races has been taken on by the French betting giant PMU, are shown on the Equidia channel, and are available to Swiss and French citizens to bet on, in cafes, bars and kiosks and online. (In 2022, a few PMU races were also held in Frauenfeld and Dielsdorf). The commission from this betting activity is vital to Avenches and also helps support Swiss racing generally, but the other Swiss tracks rely critically on donations and sponsor contributions.

Unsurprisingly, the scale of the industry has suffered a worrying contraction. What had been a slow but steady reduction in the numbers of owners, horses, races and prize money between 2015 and 2019 accelerated dramatically in the COVID year of 2020. Over the past seven years, prize money has halved, and the numbers of horses and owners have reduced by 51 percent and 48 percent, respectively.

The Swiss race programme is heavily weighted towards staying races. While Handicaps are out of bounds to foreign-trained runners, they only constitute a modest proportion of the race programme and all conditions races are open. Average prize money per race remains very respectable, at nearly €10,000. The Grand Prix von St Moritz is, at €100K, clearly the nation’s richest race. Other significant prizes include the Grand Prix d’Avenches (€20k for 3yo+, weight-for-ages, 2400m/12f), Zurich’s Grand Prix Jockey Club (€50k for 3yo+, weight-for-age, 2475m/12f+), and the Swiss Derby (€50K). The country’s main jump race is the €35K Grand Prix of Switzerland, run over (4200m/21f) in beautiful surroundings at Aarau in September with a limited weight range of just 3kgs.

For five years, between 2014 and 2018, both the Grand Prix d’Avenches and the Grand Prix Jockey Club boasted Black Type. Regrettably, neither managed to maintain the strict ratings threshold required of such races in Europe. Fresh hope has been generated by the new scheme, agreed this year, whereby EMHF member countries without a Black Type race can apply for such recognition for a single, flagship event which is allowed a rating 5lbs lower than normal. There is a real desire that one or another of these races can clear this lowered bar but, as is normally the case, this is likely to hinge on their attracting foreign-trained runners rated 95+ on the international scale. And, considering the decent prizes, foreign-trained runners are relatively thin on the ground, accounting for under five percent of starters. British and German raiders are attracted to the snow, Czech runners to some of the jumps races, but foreign runners on the flat have been in single figures over the past two years.

There was, in fact, a third milestone included within the Zurich celebrations: the tenth anniversary of Horse Park Dielsdorf. The Horse Park brings together the racing and equestrian worlds in a way which could surely be gainfully replicated in many more parts of Europe. Alongside the racetrack and training barns housing 150 horses, there are FEI-standard facilities for show jumping and dressage. A recent addition, completed within the past year, is a large stylish building which, in its restaurant configuration, comfortably seats 250 with a fine view of the racing. Various facilities around the complex are available year-round to the general public for hire. In investing some €8M into this project, Race Club President Anton Kraeuliger has demonstrated both a recognition of the importance of sweating the asset that is the racecourse and an enduring belief in Swiss racing. Let us hope that this confidence is well-placed and that racing in this most beautiful of European countries, can look forward to a thriving future.