UPDATE ON EHV-1 AT FAIR GROUNDS

By Brian Spencer —-

NEW ORLEANS (January 19, 2017) – The Louisiana Department of Agriculture has issued an addendum to the incident plan regarding the EHV-1 outbreak on the backstretch at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots

All barns continue to have enhanced bio-security measures and twice daily monitoring of temperatures. Unaffected barns may be considered for quarantine release as early as Jan. 21

Barns considered affected may be released from quarantine without testing as early as Jan. 23, barring the presence of any new horses in those barns developing clinical signs consistent with the virus.

Horses that have been isolated from those barns after testing positive will be eligible for quarantine release with two consecutive negative tests, not less than 72 hours apart, after at least 14 days in quarantine since testing positive or having been exposed to a positive horse. Testing for quarantine release may begin on Jan. 23.

Additional information, including the full addendum to the incident plan, from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture can be found at: http://www.ldaf.state.la.us/news/update-plan-to-release-horses-at-new-orleans-fair-grounds/.

Live racing continues Thursday through Sunday with a 1:25 p.m. first post, with the exception of Road to the Derby Kickoff Day Presented by Hotel Monteleone on Saturday with a 12:30 p.m. first post.

About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, the nation’s third-oldest racetrack, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, Fair Grounds is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Market: CHDN); it also operates a slot-machine gaming facility and 11 off-track betting parlors throughout southeast Louisiana. The 145th Thoroughbred Racing Season – highlighted by the 104th running of the Louisiana Derby – will run from November 2016 through April 2017. More information can be found online at www.FairGroundsRaceCourse.com.