The three-week quarantine at Calder Race Course was officially lifted on
Monday. Beginning on that day, ship-in, entry, training and racing operations
were back to normal.
Several infection control measures were put into effect at Calder when one
horse was diagnosed with the highly contagious equine herpes virus (EHV-1) on
November 30. No other horses at Calder have contracted the disease.
Lifting the quarantine allows 60 horses to resume normal training and racing
activity at Calder. Horses from outside of Calder, such as those stabled at
Gulfstream Park and Palm Meadows training center, are open to participate at
Calder without restriction as those facilities are again permitting travel to
and from the track.
“While the quarantine was hard on our December performance, our team was
successful to effectively isolate the infection and prevent it from affecting
others,” said John Marshall, Calder’s vice president and general manager of
racing. “We appreciate the patience of our horsemen, and cooperation of several
agencies at the state and federal levels; we contained a very serious situation,
ensuring the overall safety and welfare of our industry’s participants.”
December is a high-profile month at Calder’s Tropical Meet, featuring
competition among an already talented local contingent with horses shipping
south for the winter racing season. Saturday’s Grand Slam II program comprises
the $150,000 W.L. McKnight H. (G2), the $100,000 Kenny Noe Jr. H. (G3) and the
$100,000 Stage Door Betty H. (G3). The $100,000 Tropical Park Derby (G3) will be
held on New Year’s Day, once again making it America’s first derby of the New
Year.
“Now that the quarantine is behind us, we are back to showcasing a level of
competitive racing that racing fans expect of Calder this time of year,”
Marshall said.
The Tropical Meet runs through January 2, 2010.