KARACHI, Jan 18: At least one horse lost his life due to severe equine influenza which has gripped the Karachi Race Club (KRC) after the second Gymkhana race meeting of the year held last week.

Identified as three-year-old bay colt Kitli Wala, the horse belonged to the stables of Shah Mardan Shah Pir Pagara, a spokesman for the KRC, Akbar Shah Rashdi, confided to Dawn on Friday.

He alleged that two horses’ — four-year-old bay colt Janu Manu and seven-year-old bay Chohan The Great, formerly Intikhab-e-Bhakkar — who came from Lahore for the Dec 25 meeting have spread the disease.

The races in Lahore remained suspended for three weeks following viral infection that affected the horses in the stables. The LRC meetings resumed last month.

The official pointed out that despite extra precautionary measures taken by the LRC to protect the horses, there may be some lapses and the two could not have fully recovered from the decease.

Quoting the KRC veterinary Dr Abdul Ghani, who is supervising the treatment, he said the virus had affected around 150 active horses and is further spreading. The KRC has strength of 400 to 450 horses.

“Apart from administering combitic injections to the ailing horses, the KRC staff was carrying out fumigation in and around the stables as part of cleanses drive”, he remarked.

He disclosed the KRC is providing free-of-cost medicines to the horses owned by lower-class owners.

Presently, there’s a break in the Gymkhana race meetings with the advent of Moharram. The next race is scheduled to take place on Jan 23.