Pimlico Race Course management isn’t changing plans about when to open its Preakness meet despite an outbreak of a horse virus that has resulted in three barns being quarantined. Yet a leading trainer at the venerable track says the meet may eventually be impacted.It’s certainly a possibility, said Richard Small, who has 26 horses stabled in a barn near where the most recent case was reported.
I don’t see how you’d solve the problem by stopping racing. But somebody may decide different.The Baltimore City track hasn’t conducted live racing since August. Pimlico is scheduled to begin its spring meet in mid-April and the outbreak is not having an effect on selecting the date, said Michael Gathagan, vice president of communications at the Maryland Jockey Club, which operates Pimlico. The 131st running of the Preakness Stakes Triple Crown race is scheduled to take place during that meet on May 20.But the date is subject to negotiations between the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association Inc., a group that represents horse owners and trainers, and the club, Gathagan said. The two parties have negotiating since September on a live racing schedule, expected to be about 16 days shorter than last year. The suspected outbreak of the potentially fatal virus in nearby Barn A surprised Small, one of two trainers with the greatest number of Pimlico stalls, as well as veterinarians.We seem to be dealing with a mutant form of a common virus, Small said. How contagious it is is the $64,000 question.The finding - of a horse with signs consistent with equine herpesvirus in Barn A comes as a surprise to us and is very disappointing, Dr. Guy Hohenhaus, state veterinarian for the Maryland Department of Agriculture, said in a news release. While there is no way to know if this suspected case is connected with the others, we are looking into any possible relationship between them to find and close any gaps that might allow for transmission.Pimlico’s problems have had a chilling effect on the local thoroughbred industry, with states including West Virginia enacting rules aimed at limiting contact with Maryland horses. Georganne Hale, the jockey club’s racing secretary, said the situation is making it more difficult to fill race fields at Laurel Park, Pimlico’s sister track in Anne Arundel County currently conducting its winter meet. Laurel has not had to cancel any races, but restrictions on shipping horses in and out of Maryland have left some fields smaller than normal. Laurel is down about one horse per race, which Gathagan said impacts wagering, though he didn’t have specific financial figures. Workouts at Bowie, the club’s Prince George’s County training center, also continue as usual. Year-round stabling and racing may be playing a role in weakening horses and making them more susceptible to diseases and injuries, Small said. I’m not a medical expert, said Small, a trainer for over 30 years. But when I first started out we didn’t have year-round stabling. Most places would close for six months or a year so the stables could be washed down and dried out. But now all three [Pimlico, Laurel and Bowie stables] are open all year. The quarantine impacts 115 of the 515 horses housed at the track. They are still allowed to train but not with the general horse population, the jockey club said. Other horses are not allowed to be shipped to Pimlico to train, the club said.Five other tracks including Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, had outbreaks of EHV-1 last year. Cases at Pimlico and Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., are unusual in that the disease has cropped in more than one barn. The equine virus, which has characteristics of influenza, does not harm humans.
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