Hoosier Park Horses Not Allowed at Churchill Downs Due to Symptoms of Contagious Disease at Indiana Track

Sep 16, 2009 Darren Rogers

On the recommendation of the Kentucky State Veterinarian's Office, Churchill Downs and its Trackside Louisville training center will not allow horses stabled at Hoosier Park to enter either of those stable areas until further notice.

On Saturday, Sept. 12, Hoosier Park Racing and Casino officials took precautionary measures and placed 59 horses in quarantine when symptoms of the contagious bacterial disease streptococcus equi, also known as strangles, was suspected in one Thoroughbred stabled at the Anderson, Ind. facility. Hoosier Park is located about 160 miles north of Churchill Downs.

All horses stabled in that Hoosier Park barn have been quarantined and are not allowed to mix with the general horse population at the track until test results are returned from the lab. If the test returns a positive identification of strangles, all quarantined horses will undergo mandatory testing for the disease.

Owners and trainers may ship their Churchill Downs or Trackside Louisville-based horses to race at Hoosier Park, but they will not be permitted to return until officials satisfactorily determine that transmission of the disease is no longer a concern.

Churchill Downs, the world’s most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America’s greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875.  Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN) also operates Trackside at Churchill Downs, which offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 1, 2010. The track will conduct its 2009 Fall Meet from Sunday, Nov. 1 through Saturday, Nov. 29.  Churchill Downs is scheduled to host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships for a record seventh time on November 5 and 6, 2010.  Information about Churchill Downs can be found on the Internet at www.churchilldowns.com.

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