Seven Quarter Horses euthanized due to equine infectious anemia

The Marksman V, winner of the $832,707 Ruidoso Derby in New Mexico in June, and six other Quarter Horses, all trained by Heath Taylor, have been euthanized in the last 10 days after being diagnosed with equine infectious anemia, the California Horse Racing Board announced on Thursday.

According to the racing board, an initial positive was detected on Sept. 24, resulting in the euthanasia of the 2-year-old Bullet Train V. A group of nine horses were placed in quarantine with six confirmed positives. The horses that tested positive were euthanized. The other three horses, all 2-year-olds, tested negative, but will remain in quarantine and be retested in 60 days, the racing board said.

All seven of the euthanized horses raced at The Downs at Albuquerque in August or on Labor Day weekend. The other euthanized horses were the 2-year-olds Assaultt, and El Vencedor V, and the 3-year-olds Amore for a Reason, Goodtyme, and Opt In.

The horses were ordered euthanized by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, following state and federal guidelines, according to the racing board. The CDFA continues to monitor the investigation, the racing board said.

The Marksman V was one of the leading 3-year-old geldings in the nation. He finished fourth in the $1.04 million All American Derby in Albuquerque on Sept. 2, and was one of two horses euthanized on Thursday.

The filly Amore for a Reason was a three-time winner who was fourth in the $482,000 Rainbow Oaks in July and seventh in the $661,653 All American Oaks on Sept. 2.

A viral disease, equine infectious anemia is a rare disorder. Screening for the ailment is handled through Coggins tests. Horses must have a negative Coggins test to gain admittance to racetrack backstretches or be transported across state lines in an effort to avoid spread of equine infectious anemia.

Taylor said in a phone interview on Thursday that the euthanized horses and the three currently in quarantine underwent Coggins tests in August and were negative.

Taylor, 54, is one of the nation’s leading Quarter Horse trainers. Through Wednesday, he ranked third in the nation in earnings this year, with $3,162,489.

“This is my 29th year of training,” Taylor said. “I’ve never had one of these ever. It’s pretty painful. It affects multiple owners.”

Taylor said when the horses from Albuquerque arrived at Los Alamitos in September they were housed in a stable separate from his main barn.

“I was able to have access to an empty barn,” he said.

Taylor said he frequently keeps recent arrivals on their own for a period of time to ensure they do not develop illnesses during transport, such as colds, that can be transmitted to runners already in the stable.

“I try to do that by habit, not even thinking of this,” he said.

On Thursday afternoon, Taylor said he met with CDFA officials to review protocols for care of the three horses that remain in quarantine. Taylor identified them as Superfli, Favorite Fire V, and Heart of Gold V, who were second, third, and sixth in the $200,000 All American Juvenile in Albuquerque on Sept. 2.

Those horses will be tested later again this fall.

“The scary part is it has an incubation period of 45 to 60 days,” Taylor said of equine infectious anemia. “That’s why the government requires 60 days to retest.

“They could test positive and it will be a big problem.”

Taylor has 36 horses in training at Los Alamitos. On Saturday, he has runners in six time trials for the Golden State Million Futurity.

“Right now, it’s business as usual for the other barns,” he said. “They’re perfectly healthy and not affected by this catastrophe.”

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