Shipping banned at Churchill after five horses test positive for equine herpesvirus

Five of the 13 horses that were quarantined Tuesday at a barn on the backside of Churchill Downs have tested positive for equine herpesvirus, a highly contagious disease, leading the track to ban shipments in and out of the property, Churchill said late Wednesday.

The five horses tested positive one day after a horse in the affected barn was removed from the backside after displaying symptoms of equine herpesvirus. That horse later tested positive at a nearby clinic where the horse was receiving treatment.

According to Churchill, the five positive horses have been “isolated away from the affected barn.” The horses were asymptomatic as of Wednesday night, Churchill said, and would be monitored around the clock.

Churchill said that the ban on movement into and out of the backside would be in place “until further notice.” Quarantines for equine herpesvirus cases usually run for two weeks, unless the contagion spreads beyond the horses that were affected initially.

Horses can test positive for equine herpesvirus without becoming sick. Symptoms of the disease include fever and a loss of coordination. It can sometimes be fatal, but most animals recover fully after contracting the disease.

Churchill announced the positive tests after a number of tracks banned Churchill ship-ins to their backsides earlier Wednesday. The roster of tracks that banned Churchill shippers included Aqueduct, Gulfstream Park, and Oaklawn Park, frequent destinations for Kentucky-based horses in the fall.

Churchill closed its fall meet 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 that started Wednesday night. More horses are stabled at Churchill’s Trackside training center about five miles from the track. Churchill owns Turfway Park.

Churchill officials and Kentucky state veterinary officials had not returned phone calls earlier in the day, prior to the announcement being sent out.

In the announcement, Churchill said that track officials are “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.”