EHV-1 Quarantine Remains in Place at Belmont Park

The precautionary quarantine of Barn 44 at Belmont Park for Equine Herpesvirus-1 remains in place after a follow-up test has come back positive on one horse that had originally tested positive for EHV-1 last week. The affected horse, an unnamed, unraced 3-year-old male, had first tested positive for EHV-1 Tuesday, Jan. 9, after being sent to the Cornell Ruffian Equine Hospital near Belmont to be treated for a fever and mild respiratory issue. Since his release from the Ruffian Center, the horse has been quarantined in isolation at Belmont.

Throughout this process, the horse, trained by Linda Rice, has shown no neurological symptoms of the virus. All horses in Barn 44 have been and will continue to be monitored daily for fever and other signs of illness. Currently, all horses that had been exposed to the affected horse remain afebrile and asymptomatic. Congruent to the procedures presently in place, these horses will not be permitted to run or enter races through the duration of the quarantine. They will continue to train in isolation during special training hours following the normal closure of the Belmont training track.