FanDuel racetrack placed under quarantine after disease is discovered

FanDuel racetrack in East St. Louis in Illinois has been placed under a 21-day quarantine due to two confirmed cases of equine herpesvirus, a highly contagious disease, according to officials.

The quarantine, which prohibits any horse from leaving the grounds, was placed on the backside on Monday after a horse began showing symptoms of the disease. That horse was later euthanized, according to Jim Watkins, the executive director of the Illinois Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. Another horse from the same barn spiked a fever and was moved to a quarantine barn, and another horse then tested positive, Watkins said.

Both of those horses are now asymptomatic, Watkins said.

FanDuel is open for training year-round, and there are approximately 400 horses on the grounds, according to Watkins. The track’s 2023 meet ended on Nov. 18, and the 2024 meet is scheduled to begin in April.

Horses from the two barns that are not under quarantine have been allowed to train. Horses from the quarantined barns will be allowed to train on Monday as a group, according to Watkins.

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