Racetracks prohibit Churchill ship-ins after horse tests positive for equine herpesvirus

A number of racetracks have placed bans on shippers from Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., after a sick horse who was removed from the grounds on Tuesday tested positive for equine herpesvirus.

The bans were put in place by the tracks owned by 1/ST Racing, which include Gulfstream Park in Florida and Santa Anita Park in Southern California, as well as by Oaklawn Park in Arkansas and the New York Racing Association, which is racing at Aqueduct.

Two of those tracks, Gulfstream and Oaklawn, are prime destinations for Kentucky-based horses heading south for winter campaigns.

Although Churchill and Kentucky state veterinary officials did not return phone calls on Wednesday, the Blood-Horse reported that the horse that was removed from the backside tested positive for equine herpesvirus after being treated at a local clinic. Equine herpesvirus is a highly contagious disease that can sometimes be fatal.

The barn where the horse was stabled was placed under quarantine on Tuesday, and the 13 horses remaining in the barn were tested for herpesvirus on Wednesday. The results of those tests are not expected to be available until Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

Dr. Will Farmer, Churchill’s equine medical director, had said on Tuesday that horses based at Churchill were being allowed to ship off the grounds as long as they did not have any interactions with the horses in the quarantined barn. It is not clear if that protocol has changed in the wake of the positive equine herpesvirus test.

:: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets.

Churchill closed its fall meet on Sunday, and many of the horses on the track’s backside that were expected to campaign this winter had shipped out by Monday, including to Fair Grounds in New Orleans, a track owned by Churchill. Still, a number of horses remain at Churchill in anticipation of the Turfway Park meet starting on Wednesday night. More horses are stabled at Churchill’s Trackside training center about five miles from the track. Churchill owns Turfway Park.

On Tuesday, the Maryland Jockey Club, which is owned by 1/ST Racing, banned shippers from Churchill Downs at both Laurel Park and Pimlico Racecourse “until further notice.” Later, 1/ST issued a directive temporarily banning shippers from Churchill at all of its tracks, including Santa Anita and Gulfstream.

Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., which opens its six-month meet on Dec. 9, has also put in place a ban on Churchill shippers, but the “situation is very fluid,” according to Oaklawn racing officials. State veterinarians representing both Kentucky and Arkansas were scheduled to discuss the situation on Wednesday afternoon.

NYRA was allowing horses to ship in from Churchill as of Wednesday mid-day, but the association abruptly changed course on Wednesday evening and banned shippers from the track.

- additional reporting by Mary Rampellini

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.