Equine virus spares Saratoga

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga harness racing has been minimally affected by an equine herpes outbreak at Vernon Downs, officials said Tuesday.

Racing at the Central New York track was canceled Saturday and is still on hold after state lab testing identified three infect- ed horses, including one that had to be euthanized.

Equine Herpes Virus Type 1 is a serious, highly contagious airborne viral infection that can cause respiratory disease, abortion in broodmares, death in newborn foals and a neurological form of herpes. It does not affect people. The two surviving horses are under quarantine at Vernon Downs, and no other horses are allowed to enter or leave the track, which is just west of Utica.

Horses from Vernon regularly compete at Saratoga Casino & Raceway. Senior Vice President of Operations for Racing Don Braim said the Vernon quarantine has not created a shortage of entries at Saratoga.

“We still have plenty of horses,” he said Tuesday. “It hasn’t impacted us negatively at all.”

State officials urge any- one whose horses were at Vernon within the past two weeks to take a variety of precautions, including checking the horse’s temperature twice a day for 10 days and consulting a veterinarian if there is cause for concern.

For more information about EHV- 1, go to the American Association of Equine Practitioner’s website or view the USDA APHIS’ brochure.