Quarantine lifted at Parx Racing

The equine herpesvirus quarantine at Parx Racing that began Jan. 9 was lifted Wednesday, and horses are free to leave the backstretch without restrictions. Other tracks in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic have resumed accepting entries from horses stabled at Parx.

A horse stabled in Barn 27 at Parx with trainer Ramon Martin spiked a fever on Jan. 8 and was sent to the Mid-Atlantic Equine Center in Ringoes, N.J. That horse tested positive for the non-neurological strain of the equine herpesvirus, but its temperature soon subsided.

During the quarantine, horses stabled at Parx were not allowed to leave the backstretch, and any horses who shipped in to race had to remain at Parx until the quarantine ended.

The horses in Barn 27 were isolated from others on the Parx backstretch during the quarantine. No other horses in the barn came down with a temperature. The Barn 27 horses are free to resume training and racing.

In addition to Martin, Barn 27 houses horses trained by Penny Pearce and Mario Dominguez.

Racing at Parx continued uninterrupted during the quarantine.

The equine herpesvirus is contagious and can cause respiratory problems in horses. The more serious neurological strain can be fatal.

Last winter, there were two equine herpesvirus quarantines at Belmont Park and one at Laurel Park. Parx has had quarantines in 2013, 2014, and 2016. Four horses died from the illness during the 2016 outbreak.