Training exercises for horses preparing for the beginning of the 2016 American Quarter Horse Season at Remington Park have been rescheduled. After thorough discussions with Oklahoma’s horsemen’s groups and respected veterinarians in and outside of Oklahoma, Remington Park has elected to delay the opening of its stable area for horses.
Admittance to the Remington Park stable area for all horses will now begin Friday, Feb. 12. Originally, horses were going to access the grounds on Feb. 8. Remington Park will open the racetrack for morning training on Saturday, Feb. 13. The first training races of the season will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 17.
The slight delay in horse activity allows more time to ensure that measures are properly taken to prevent any situation regarding equine health issues.
“In light of the current Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1) outbreak, and with an increasing number of positives in New Mexico, Arizona, Illinois, Pennsylvania and now Georgia, we believe this rescheduling will give all horsemen added time to vaccinate their horses,” said Matt Vance, Remington Park vice president of operations. “The added time will also allow us to thoroughly disinfect any and all surfaces in our stable area in which horses may come in contact. This includes our starting gates.
“We will institute a disinfecting program on the backstretch with an EPA and FDA approved product that has a residual effect on surfaces,” Vance continued. “While we understand the delay in opening may be a hardship for some, we have to take every stride possible to ensure the health and safety of all the animals coming to Remington Park. We are doing our best to prevent the spread of EHV-1.”
The Remington Park live racing schedule begins Friday, March 11 and continues thru Saturday, June 4.