No New Cases of Equine Herpesvirus at Turfway Park

As of 5:30 p.m. Jan. 10, there were no new cases of equine herpesvirus at Turfway Park, said Rusty Ford of the Kentucky State Veterinarian's office. He said private practitioners on the backside and Kentucky Racing Commission veterinarians were reporting no signs of spreading disease, and he had seen none in his rounds of the backside.

Turfway, located in Northern Kentucky, has been battling an outbreak of the neurologic form of equine herpesvirus type-1 that began the week before Christmas. Horses in two barns are quarantined at the track, and outrider horses and lead ponies from other Turfway barns have been quarantined off site. One filly has been euthanatized due to herpesvirus.

Fourteen horses at the Western Kentucky Training Center also have been quarantined. Those horses ship to Turfway to race. Two horses there tested positive and one had shown slight neurologic signs.

Ford said he took samples from the outriders' horses and lead ponies Jan. 10 at the farm in Boone County where those horses are in quarantine. Samples from horses in Barn 27 at Turfway Park were being completed. Results should be available in a few days.

Ford said he was part of a USDA conference call today with members of various equine organizations. During the conference call, he reported on the Turfway Park herpesvirus outbreak.