Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack, and Hotel will end, effective Tuesday, May 10, the additional Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) bio-security protocols implemented three weeks ago on April 18.
“Barns that were placed under restriction will be able to resume their normal operations and schedules in the stable area and on the race track,” said Dr. John Sweeney, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission State Veterinarian at Prairie Meadows.
“Trainers can enter horses that were on restriction in races now,” Sweeney added. “We took proactive and aggressive action when we implemented the additional protocols and we are confident that it was the right decision given the situation last month.”
The decision to implement the additional Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) bio-security protocols was the result of horses shipping in to Prairie Meadows from Fonner Park just before three horses tested positive for the virus at that Nebraska track.
“Prairie Meadows never had any horse test positive for EHV-1 or show any symptoms of the virus,” Sweeney said. “Starting May 17, we will allow horses from Fonner Park and Nebraska into our stable area.”
“Now that the restrictions are lifted, we expect to see our horse count increase,” said Chad Keller, Assistant Racing Secretary. “That should lead to more horses in every race and more competitive racing.”