Churchill Downs has restricted the movement of horses away from its backstretch until further notice after five horses stabled in a quarantined barn tested positive Nov. 30 for the contagious equine herpesvirus. A day earlier, the barn was placed under quarantine after an unidentified horse became sick, and later, while the horse was being treated at an equine medical clinic, testing determined it had the EHV-1 strain of the equine herpesvirus.
The five horses testing positive have been separated and moved into another barn away from the eight quarantined horses not showing the presence of equine herpesvirus in their test samples, said Rusty Ford, equine operations consultant for the Office of the State Veterinarian at the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.
Churchill Downs issued a statement that the action was made "out of an abundance of caution." A day earlier, the track implemented biosecurity protocols for the affected barn.
"Churchill Downs is working closely and in conjunction with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture to ensure maximum effectiveness of its health and safety protocols throughout the management of this process," the statement added. "The five additional horses that have tested positive for EHV-1 are asymptomatic but have been successfully isolated away from the affected barn where they will await a series of further testing. Continued testing of the horses with potential of exposure and those of the affected trainers is underway."
Horses with EHV-1 can experience neurological problems, lethargy, and fever, while others show only mild symptoms or are asymptomatic carriers. It is a viral disease that can be managed and is treatable.
Quarantines and shipping restrictions are meant to reduce the chance of spread among the horse population. Quarantines typically remain in place on horses until state veterinary officials receive follow-up testing that no horses are positive for the equine herpesvirus after a designated period of time. Quarantines can sometimes last for two weeks or more.
EHV-1 has been discovered at other tracks in the U.S. this year, including at Fonner Park and Parx Racing.
Late November is a busy shipping time in Kentucky, with many horses sent south nearing or after the end of the Churchill Downs fall meet for winter racing in warmer climates. Churchill Downs wrapped up its fall meet Nov. 27.
Ford said that veterinary and health officials in other states have been notified to monitor horses that exited the now-quarantined barn to race elsewhere, and officials in those states will determine health actions and procedures for those horses.
Even before Churchill Downs began imposing restrictions on its stable area, some tracks announced Nov. 29-30 that they would no longer accept shippers from the Louisville, Ky., track.
The Churchill Downs-based O Besos will be scratched from the Dec. 3 Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) as a result of the EHV-1 cases at the track. In transit to New York from Kentucky on Wednesday, his van was turned around as a result of a Wednesday decision by New York Racing Association officials to bar Churchill Downs shippers, according to Pat McKenna, NYRA vice president of communications. A day earlier, NYRA had intended to allow his participation when Churchill had only one EHV-1 positive.
NYRA's decision was made before the Churchill Downs shipping restriction was announced, McKenna said.
