A quarantine at Belmont Park's Barn 44, in place for more than two weeks after a horse tested positive for Equine Herpesvirus-1, was lifted Jan. 26 by the New York Racing Association—a move approved by the New York State Gaming Commission, which regulates the industry.
The move clears horses in the affected barn to be able to enter races at Aqueduct Racetrack and train with the general horse population.
The decision by NYRA came after the horse that tested positive Jan. 9 for Equine Herpesvirus-1, which is trained by Linda Rice, came back with a negative test result Thursday evening, Jan. 25. That unnamed and unraced 3-year-old male, which also tested positive in a second test last week, will remain temporarily in quarantine as a precaution, NYRA said.
All horses at Barn 44 were subject to the quarantine order, which came after Rice's horse tested positive after being taken to the Cornell Ruffian Equine Hospital following the onset of a fever and what officials called a mild respiratory issue. No other horses tested positive and all were asymptomatic.
The situation was felt beyond New York; three horses kept at Barn 44 were banned by Maryland Jockey Club from entering the Fire Plug Stakes at Laurel Park on Jan. 20. Several other tracks have banned shippers from Belmont since the horse tested positive.
