An equine disease has galloped from the west to the east, striking an entire stable of thoroughbreds and threatening to rob punters and the chic set of their traditional New Year’s Day outing at the races.

There is no official confirmation yet of the big-ticket January 1 event being cancelled but the fancy hats, designer sunglasses and long cigars may not make their customary appearance at the Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC) on the first day of the year.

Around 490 horses afflicted by virulent pyrexia, which induces severe respiratory distress, are being treated by a crack team of veterinarians requisitioned by the RCTC, the country’s oldest turf club. Whether they will be fit to race on New Year’s Day nobody is willing to confirm.

“The disease is under control but it may take some more time for our racehorses to return to action,” Cyrus Madan, the chairman of the RCTC, told Metro.

The turf club, which had fallen on bad times, was banking on the New Year’s Day event to showcase its revival. “We had a fantastic monsoon season and were planning to bring in another 100-odd horses for the winter, apart from renovating the stands,” a senior club official said.

The virus strain originated at Matheran, in Maharashtra, and spread to Pune before heading north to Delhi. Races were suspended at the Royal Western India Turf Club in Mumbai and Pune and later at the Delhi Race Club. Sources said racing was unlikely to resume in Mumbai before mid-February.

The first 10 cases of pyrexia in Calcutta were detected at the racecourse on October 25. The virus spread to the stable in Hastings despite the infected horses being quarantined. An RCTC official said on Sunday that pyrexia cases had been reported by the Bangalore and Mysore turf clubs, too.

Horses in the RCTC stable no longer have high fever but an expert said it would take at least another month for the last vestiges of the virus to be flushed out. “The horses would then need three weeks of rest and another four weeks to attain racing fitness.”

If the horses are out of action for long, their owners are going to be hit the hardest. The monthly cost of maintaining a racehorse is in excess of Rs 12,000. Medical expenses are extra. The RCTC will bear the treatment cost for two months and offer concessions on the basic training fee.

“The club’s decision to foot the medical bill is good news,” said Gautam Sengupta, the secretary of the Calcutta Racehorse Owners’ Society.

Members of the RCTC said the club was determined to start the racing season on New Year’s Day but admitted it would be a tough task. “A minimum of 80 horses in different classes will have to be fit and raring to go by the third week of December. That’s a tall order,” one of them said.

The winter races in Calcutta are more popular than the monsoon events.