Starting March 18, horses from Maryland will be allowed to ship into the New
York Racing Association’s (NYRA) three tracks — Aqueduct, Belmont Park and
Saratoga. Horses stabled at Laurel, Pimlico and Bowie Training Center have been
barred from NYRA tracks since an outbreak of Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1) swept
through the Old Line State in the early part of the New Year.
On Wednesday, the Maryland Department of Agriculture lifted the final hold
orders in the state after two horses in the Detention Barn at Pimlico and two
isolated in a barn at Bowie tested negative for the virus. The four horses were
permitted to resume normal activities and return to their original barns.
“These negative tests bring the EHV-1 outbreak to official closure in
Maryland as all hold orders have been lifted and there are no reported
neurologic signs of the virus anywhere in the state,” said Dr. Guy Hohenhaus,
Maryland’s state veterinarian. “We thank all parties involved for their patience
and diligence in stopping the spread of the virus.”
Officials from the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Maryland, reported on
Thursday that test results were negative for all the horses in the barn affected
by the virus.
“It has been a two-month process, one in which we learned a great deal about
this virus,” Maryland Jockey Club President and Chief Operating Officer Lou Raffetto
said. “We are relieved to have the situation behind us.”
A list of requirements must be met for any horses shipping from Maryland to a
NYRA track:
| – | A 48-hour healthy certificate with each horse(s)
temperature clearly written. Proof of vaccination against EHV-1 no less than seven days ago and no more than 90 days prior to arrival with the vaccination date clearly written on the healthy certificate by the issuing veterinarian. |
|
| – | A statement by the issuing veterinarian that each horse
has NOT originated from a barn with an active EHV-1 infection. |
|
| – | NYRA reserves the right to change this policy if
conditions warrant. |
Any horses shipping to Maryland and then back to run at a NYRA track will
also be subject to these requirements, according to Dr. Anthony Verderosa,
NYRA’s chief examining veterinarian.
“Basically, they will be treated as if they originated in Maryland,”
Verderosa said.
Penn National and Philadelphia Park shippers also have to fulfill the above
requirements to enter a NYRA track.