Mahoning Valley Race Course horses under quarantine

AUSTINTOWN — A state quarantine of racing horses stabled at Hollywood Gaming’s Mahoning Valley Race Course could end today, officials said Wednesday.

According to Ed Vomacka, the course’s racing secretary, one of those horses recently tested positive for the equine herpes virus, or EHV-1, a respiratory illness that’s highly contagious and can be life-threatening if it’s not caught early.

No horses have been allowed in or out of the race course barns since the virus was detected Feb. 13, save some that were allowed to stay in a separate barn, he said.

“Right now, we’re only allowing horses that are on the grounds to run here,” Vomacka said.

The virus was detected in only one horse, officials from the Ohio Department of Agriculture confirmed. Since then, further tests for the virus in that horse have been negative, Vomacka said.

The department on Thursday plans to test six other horses who are still suspected of being at-risk, said spokesperson Megan Harshbarger. If those horses test negative, the department could lift the quarantine as early as later that day.

Harshbarger said EHV-1 is a “fairly common” equine virus that’s transmitted through the air. It starts off as a respiratory illness but can progress and do neurological damage.

“That is believed to have happened here,” she said. “When something like this happens, we respond as quickly as possible. In this case, we quarantined the race track and tested all its horses to make sure it was contained.”

Vomacka said an entire barn was quarantined because the infected horse and others were exposed to each other the week prior.

“[EHV-1 is] not an uncommon thing. It’s not very serious. Occasionally it can be life-threatening but it generally isn’t if you catch it early,” he said. “There is a vaccine and most owners do [vaccinate] against it. But it is highly contagious.”

Vomacka said the race course years ago dealt with an EHV-1 infection and workers have been following the course’s established policy on EHV-1 outbreaks, which accounts for transmission by handlers who could be carrying the virus on clothing.

“The trainers and the exercise riders — anybody who works in that barn — if they work in another barn, they’re instructed to go into [the quarantined] barn last. They’re instructed to go home and change before they come back,” he said.

Even if those horses are cleared to leave, they may not be allowed to return to the course for some time, Vomacka added.

Vomacka said the racing office has received complaints about fewer horses being fielded for races over the past several days. Though the track can feature up to 12 horses, the course has only been able to field 6 to 8 horses due to the quarantine, he said.

“That’s the reason for the short fields right now … right now, they’re restricting entry and exit,” he said.

This story was originally published February 20, 2020 at 4:53 AM with the headline "Mahoning Valley Race Course horses under quarantine."