More EHV-1 positives at Sunland; Will stakes races be affected?

With five more horses testing positive this week for the equineherpes virus, the earliest Sunland Park can return to racing now is Feb. 23.

That’s left many trainers concerned, if the virus continues to spread, it could threaten next month’s big stakes races at the track and possibly hurt their grading in the future.

“Right now it’s holding us back on a lot of races, affecting us,” said trainer Emilio Cadena of EC Racing Stables, who has 16 horses at Sunland Park. “owner-wise, they’re asking a lot of questions.”

As the EHV-1 virus continues to spread, concern among trainers and owners continues to rise.

“Should you gallop? Should you not?” Cadena said. “Should you stay in?”

With graded stakes races like the Sunland Oaks and Sunland Derby on tap next month (March 20), even if sunland gets back to racing, one has to wonder whether the top horses will make the trip.

ABC-7 asked Cadena if he were training horses elsewhere whether he would bring his horses to Sunland Park for stakes races next month?”

“That’s a no,” Cadena replied. “I would not take the risk. I would stay where i was at.”

The barns at Sunland Park remain under quarantine with 56 positives and nine horses euthanized. Every single piece of clothing that comes in contact with the horses has to be completely cleaned.

“The quickest way to get back to racing is to get these animals back to good health, the entire community of horses there right now, all 1,500 or 1,600,” said Katie Goetz, spokesperson for the New Mexico Livestock Board. “Their interest is the same as ours, which is to return these animals to good health.”

Sunland Park spokesman Ethan Linder said he is confident the track is making progress against the virus.

“I think we’re making progress on a number of fronts,” Linder said. “Getting horses back out of isolation and back to their home barns shows that this is something horses can bounce back from. I think we just need to do our due diligence to monitor those still in isolation to get them back to their home barns as soon as we can.”

Sunland Park officials admitted some trainers and owners could choose to skip Sunland’s stakes races. Track officials also indicated they have reached out to Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, and to others in the industry, about whether the grading of its stakes races could suffer if top trainers don’t bring their horses to the track this year.