In an update provided Dec. 27, Hawthorne Race Course officials said the quarantine put in place at the Illinois track because of an equine herpesvirus outbreak could be lifted around Jan. 10.
In a statement, Hawthorne assistant general manager Jim Miller said a horse that was being monitored in quarantine died Dec. 24 after testing positive for EHV-I Dec. 12. Officials believe a necropsy at the University of Illinois will reveal EHV-I as the cause of death, which would make the horse the seventh to die since the outbreak began in October.
Miller said that because the horse who died had been in quarantine since Dec. 12, that date becomes the clock "reset" day for the 28 days needed for a possible lifting of the quarantine. The meet concludes Dec. 30.
"That leaves the timeframe as of today for a possible removal of quarantine sometime around Jan. 10," Miller said.
Miller earlier said two horses that had been in quarantine tested negative for EHV-I and were able to return to their original barns. He said test results on six other horses are awaited.
Miller said Illinois State Veterinarian Dr. Dawn Folker-Calderon will continue to be on the backstretch at various times to assist with quarantine information.