Laurel Park Cancels March 12 Card Due to EHV-1
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Photo: Maryland Jockey Club
Horses vie for position at Laurel Park
The Maryland Jockey Club announced the cancellation of its nine-race program at Laurel Park March 12 due to a number of horses entered now under a quarantine that was instituted after a horse there was diagnosed with EHV-1. Four barns at Laurel are under what is known as a "hold order," precautionary action as a result of contact tracing from the sick horse.
No other horses had displayed clinical signs by March 9, and the horse appears to be recovering offsite at a clinic, officials said. The Laurel quarantine will last a minimum of 14 days.
The Stronach 5 national wager, which links five races at The Stronach Group-owned tracks across the country on Fridays, will resume March 19. It was to feature two races from Laurel and had a carryover of $154,931.
The Maryland Jockey Club will look to have the remaining horses on Friday's program fill live racing programs March 13-14, the operator said in a release.
Laurel is also restricting movements from horses exiting its premises. Horses can continue to van into Laurel but they must remain onsite under the current two-week restriction, except for circumstances such as a horse making a return trip to Pimlico Race Course, another track in the state.
EHV-1, from the family of the equine herpesvirus, is a contagious disease that can cause respiratory and neurological disease and abortion in pregnant mares.
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