Two at Turfway Park test positive for COVID-19

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A backstretch worker at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., and an employee of the track have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus in the past three weeks but no further cases have emerged, a spokesperson for the parent company of the track, Churchill Downs, confirmed on Wednesday morning.

The two positives, which were first reported by The Blood-Horse, are the first known to have occurred at a Kentucky track at which horses are being trained. The backstretch employee tested positive “over two weeks ago,” according to the spokesperson, Tonya Abeln, and was moved off-track to receive medical attention. The Turfway employee tested positive and is now in self-quarantine off-property.

After the backstretch worker tested positive, two other backstretch workers were quarantined on the property and provided with private sleeping quarters and a private bathroom, Abeln said. Both have been removed from quarantine after displaying no symptoms of the disease over 14 days of isolation, according to Abeln.

News of the two positives comes at a sensitive time for the Kentucky racing industry, which has been preparing plans to present to the government that would lead to the reopening of tracks with spectator-free racing in the near future. On Tuesday night, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that new COVID-19 cases in the state have “likely plateaued,” and said a task force has begun examining plans for businesses to reopen in the state, consistent with federal guidelines on maintaining social distancing and containing the spread of the virus.

Turfway Park closed in late March with three days remaining in its live meet, but the track has allowed horses to remain on the grounds in order to train. The track has put in place protocols for workers that include daily health checks and the requirement that all workers at the track performing “essential operations” wear face masks at all times and maintain six feet of distance from other individuals, Abeln said.

“We are extremely committed to ensuring a safe environment for those who are providing essential care to the horses on our backside right now,” Abeln said.

Live racing has not been conducted in Kentucky since Turfway closed. Churchill Downs has announced plans to open its backstretch on April 28, but it has not yet announced any plans to return to live racing. The company has already rescheduled the Kentucky Derby for Sept. 5.

On Tuesday, Bob Elliston, Keeneland’s vice president of racing and sales, said in an email newsletter that the track “has established a window of race dates this summer” for running live races, but that the plan would hinge on approval from Beshear, health officials, and regulators. Keeneland canceled its entire spring meet in March as the scope of the pandemic became clearer.