While a barn in Fair Grounds’ stable area remains under a Louisiana State
Racing Commission (LSRC) quarantine, the commission will again allow horses to
ship in and race at the track beginning with Wednesday’s card.
Commissioners and LSRC staff, Fair Grounds officials and members of the
Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry staff met late Monday in Baton
Rouge, where it was agreed that shippers would again be allowed to race. Tuesday
is Fair Grounds’ only dark day this week.
“As we continue to monitor the situation, we are pleased that all parties
were able to come to this agreement,” said Fair Grounds vice president and
general manager of racing Eric Halstrom, “We look forward to welcoming back
ship-ins beginning Wednesday.”
Ship-in horses raced at Fair Grounds on Friday and Saturday, but as an added
precaution, they were prohibited from shipping to the track for races on Sunday
and Monday. Ship-ins must arrive and depart from the track’s receiving barn.
The LDAF recommended, and all parties agreed to follow, its protocol for any
horses that ship in to race. The requirements include a normal temperature
reading upon arrival and records of a certified veterinary inspection within the
last 48 hours and a herpes vaccination from not less than 14 and not more than
90 days ago. The quarantine and biosecurity measures have been in place for
Barns 4A and 4B at Fair Grounds since Friday after test results confirmed that a
Thoroughbred trained by Dallas Stewart was infected with equine herpes virus
(EHV-1).
Five horses tested Saturday — which includes all horses who have been housed
in the last 14 days in Barns 4A and 4B, the local base for Stewart and trainer
Neil Howard — showed “positive” for equine herpes virus, according to results
received by the LDAF and LSRC earlier Monday.
Experts in EHV-1 have indicated, however, that as many as 5 percent of horses
will carry the virus in their system. No other horses in either Stewart’s or
Howard’s barn have shown any symptoms of EHV-1, which most commonly include
fever and an upper respiratory infection and can also include lethargy, loss of
appetite, a nasal discharge and a cough. In severe cases, horses can
suffer a loss of coordination and an inability to stand and the illness can be
fatal. All horses had two tests performed, one using a nasal swab and the other
using a buffy coat, or blood, sample.
The recommended quarantine period for equine herpes virus is generally up to
21 days after potential exposure to the virus. The five horses that tested
“positive” will be quarantined further, begin a new 21-day clock and will be
re-tested on January 5.
The infected horse displayed symptoms of equine herpes on December 23. That
horse was transported immediately from Fair Grounds and remains under
observation at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, where the
diagnosis was confirmed the following day. Symptoms of equine herpes virus most
commonly include fever and an upper respiratory infection. The symptoms can also
include lethargy, loss of appetite, a nasal discharge and a cough. In severe
cases, horses can suffer a loss of coordination and an inability to stand and
the illness can be fatal.
Because the disease is a virus, it can be spread through the air when a horse
coughs, although studies on the virus indicate that it is very short-lived and
is susceptible to disinfectants. The maximum extent of the airborne transmission
of the virus is thought to 35 feet. Horses may also contract the disease if they
come in contact with the clothing of a person who has worked with an infected
horse, the tack and equipment worn by an infected horse, or a shared food and
water source. The disease poses no danger to humans.
The incubation period for equine herpes virus ranges from two to 10 days.
Under the quarantine order, horses may not be moved in or out of those barns
until the LDAF clears them to do so. To accommodate the quarantined horses,
training hours were changed Saturday. Regular training hours will be 30 minutes
earlier, from 5:30-9:30 a.m. (CST), with a renovation break from 7:30-8. Horses
from Stewart and Howard’s stables will be allowed to train from 9:30-10:30.