Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025

Rhinopneumonitis Shuts Down Maryland Tracks

Two horses have been euthanized at Maryland's Pimlico race track—and 11 others are sick—as the result of an outbreak of equine herpesvirus-1, or rhinopneumonitis. And on Sunday, Jan. 22, Maryland state officials imposed a quarantine on the track, and its two sister tracks, that's all but shut down Maryland racing."Rhino" causes upper respiratory tract infection and can cause neurological disease, and it has no reliable method of prevention.The disease first surfaced on Jan. 2 and resulted in the death of a horse named News Reporter, a 5-year-old gelding.
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Two horses have been euthanized at Maryland’s Pimlico race track—and 11 others are sick—as the result of an outbreak of equine herpesvirus-1, or rhinopneumonitis. And on Sunday, Jan. 22, Maryland state officials imposed a quarantine on the track, and its two sister tracks, that’s all but shut down Maryland racing.”Rhino” causes upper respiratory tract infection and can cause neurological disease, and it has no reliable method of prevention.The disease first surfaced on Jan. 2 and resulted in the death of a horse named News Reporter, a 5-year-old gelding. Maryland veterinary officials thought they had things under control early last week, until horses at other Pimlico barns started having positive blood tests. By that time that Maryland officials sealed off Pimlico (where 535 horses are in training), Laurel Park and Bowie, and other state racing jurisdictions (including New York and Florida) had moved to ban horses who’d raced or trained in Maryland since early January. There’s no racing at Pimlico now. The spring meet opens in mid-April, and the Preakness, the second race in the Triple Crown, is on May 20. Laurel Park, which hasn’t reported any signs of an outbreak, is racing now. Maryland officials haven’t announced a date to end the quarantine. David G. Zipf, veterinarian for the Maryland Racing Commission, told the Washington Post that the virus has never crossed to humans, although he’s worried that it’s become more virulent. “The severity and the occurrence are becoming more prevalent, and this is scary,” Zipf said. “This is why we’re so concerned.”

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