While four barns at Calder Race Course remain under quarantine to reduce the
risk for further contamination of equine herpes virus (EHV-1), good news came
Thursday evening when results of a sample from a horse in one of the barns that
had a mild fever came back negative for the disease.
The track is awaiting the result of another sample from a quarantined horse
in a different barn with similar symptoms sent to the University of Kentucky
College of Agriculture — Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center on Thursday. The
result is expected to be made available on Saturday. Horses exhibiting a fever
over 102 degrees, nasal discharge, or chronic cough are immediately tested.
In the time since a horse was diagnosed on November 30 with EHV-1, a
contagious disease spread among horses with flu-like symptoms, including fever
or respiratory infection, Calder has implemented its operational procedures to
reduce the risk for further contamination of the disease, starting with the
quarantining of horses that may had been exposed to the sick horse for three
weeks. The temperatures of horses in the quarantined barns are taken twice
daily. Travel of horses in and out of Calder has also been restricted.
Working with the Florida Department of Agriculture, the Department of
Business & Professional Regulation and its Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and locally with the Florida
Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association (FHBPA) and its members, Calder
has implemented additional precautionary measures to minimize the risk of
contamination, including:
| * | Foot disinfectants and hand sanitizers (for humans) at
the quarantined barns |
|
| * | Latex gloves for horse handlers on the starting gate,
the state testing barn, and horse identifier |
|
| * | Signage at the quarantined barns | |
| * | Bio-security training for horse trainers, their staff,
and stable security officers |
Calder has implemented these additional measures to protect the entire racing
community in Florida, including the participants at Gulfstream Park and Tampa
Bay Downs, the state’s many training centers and farms, as well as breeding
operations. The training center that neighbors Calder is also under the same
protocol.
“We thoroughly appreciate the level of support and cooperation from the USDA,
Florida’s Department of Agriculture, the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, the
FHBPA and our local horsemen in putting into place and carrying out these
measures,” said Calder Vice President and General Manager of Racing John
Marshall on Friday. “We thank the officials of these organizations and the
individual horsemen for their continued cooperation and participation during
this time.”
The Calder leadership team is observing incubation timetables as results of
tests are confirmed and is communicating results and updates with horsemen. It
is too early to predict when the quarantines may be lifted; however, live racing
continues for the horses outside of the restricted barns as scheduled, although
Calder has reduced the number of races on weekdays and Sundays to eight per day.
Considering the timetables, an update on the rescheduling of the My Charmer
H. (G3) and Tropical Turf H. (G3), originally scheduled for Saturday, is not yet
available.