A Message to Horsemen From Hawthorne Concerning Isolation of Barn A
On Sunday morning, State Veterinarian Dr. Dawn Folker was notified that a horse
stabled in Barn A (the Westernmost barn on the Hawthorne backstretch) had been
experiencing a high temperature along with respiratory issues. Upon consulting
with the other backstretch veterinarians, it was requested that blood samples from
the horse be taken and sent to a laboratory for evaluation.
Due to the symptoms the horse was experiencing, along with the fact that the samples
could not be sent to the lab for testing until Monday morning, Dr. Folker requested
that as a precaution we isolate Barn A only on the Hawthorne backstretch.
By isolating Barn A, we would be able to eliminate any possible spread of those
symptoms to horses in any other barns on the Hawthorne backstretch while attending
veterinarians could examine the other horses within Barn A. We are expecting the
test results back on Wednesday.
While we do not yet know the test results, under the guidance of Dr. Folker,
Hawthorne has implemented the following precautions to ensure there is
no possible further spread of these symptoms to other horses while also
insuring that racing will continue for horses at Hawthorne:
-Until the test results are returned, horses within Barn A will not be allowed
to leave the barn to train or race.
-Horses within Barn A are being handled by trainers, assistant trainers,
grooms and veterinarians that are wearing Tyvek suits and all help will be
issued disinfectant upon leaving the barn.
-Hawthorne has supplied Security to Barn A around the clock to limit who is
allowed within the Barn.
-Further safety precautions have been put in place at Hawthorne to allow for
continued racing and the safety of all horses:
1. The entire paddock has been disinfected and will be disinfected daily.
2. The entire starting gate has been disinfected and will be disinfected daily.
3. The Receiving Barn (which is over ¼ mile away from Barn A) has been disinfected
and will be disinfected on a daily basis.
We want to emphasize that this isolation of horses is only in place for Barn A on
the Hawthorne backstretch. This does not affect horses in any other barns at
Hawthorne and does not affect horses shipping into Hawthorne or shipping out
from Hawthorne.
Dr. Dawn Folker is the lead person regarding this situation and we will follow
her suggestions to continue to provide a safe racing environment at Hawthorne.
Jim Miller – Assistant General Manager, Hawthorne Race Course.
