Five horses at Northfield confirmed with disease

A Northfield Park spokesman has confirmed that there has been an outbreak of strangles in the track’s backstretch, involving at least five horses, and that it has been confined to two barns. The names of the horses nor the stables in which they reside have not been released.

“We are waiting for some test results back to see whether this is isolated or what our situation is,” Northfield Parks’ publicity director Keith Gisser told harnessracing.com Thursday afternoon. “We will know that tomorrow.”

Gisser said suspicion of the possible outbreak surfaced early last week.

“As of this morning there were five confirmed cases,” Gisser said. “Suspected horses have been either swab-tested or cultured."

Gisser said the barns housing the affected horses have been quarantined. “Each individual stall has been quarantined and disinfectant procedures have been put in place,” he explained. “For anybody working on those horses, in and out, there have been specific instructions as to how to deal with that.”

Gisser said all other horses are free to ship in or out. “At this time we are not restricting horses (shipped) in or out because it appears that this has been confined,” he said. “That’s on the recommendation of various veterinary experts.

“We believe that we found a possible source of the initial infection. There is indication that there was a turn-out facility that may have been the source of the infection. We are not permitting horses from that particular location.”

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