The Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) has moved swiftly to reassure the racing fraternity amid rising concerns over glanders cases reported in South India. “We have taken all necessary steps, and our veterinary team is actively monitoring the situation. If there is even the slightest suspicion, the concerned horses will be immediately segregated,” RWITC Chairman Surendra Sanas told the Free Press Journal on Friday.
Sanas, who secured his fourth consecutive term as chairman in September, reiterated that no horses from South India will be allowed entry into RWITC premises until complete clarity and safety are established.
The caution comes after five horses at the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) tested positive for glanders on Thursday. Initial screenings at the government veterinary hospital laboratory in Hebbal confirmed the infections. BTC has since been instructed to send secondary samples to the National Research Centre on Equines (NRCE) in Hisar, the country’s premier equine health institute and the only lab in South Asia authorised to confirm glanders cases. A certified report from NRCE is expected within 48–72 hours. “We recognise the urgency of the situation and have implemented strict control measures,” BTC officials said, adding that samples were dispatched immediately.
Glanders is an infectious and often fatal zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Burkholderia mallei, primarily affecting horses, donkeys, and mules. Because of its severity and rapid transmission, any suspected outbreak triggers mandatory isolation, testing, and movement restrictions.
While the developments have unsettled southern racing circuits, the RWITC has reinforced its biosecurity protocols to safeguard Mumbai’s racing ecosystem. Club officials emphasise that preventive systems are firmly in place and that there is no cause for concern regarding the disease spreading to Western India.
The situation follows an outbreak in Hyderabad in November 2025, when two horses at the Hyderabad Race Club (HRC) tested positive for glanders, forcing a three-month shutdown and cancellation of the entire winter racing season.
