Vernon, NY — Vernon Downs management is announcing that the barn area is closed and all horses stabled there under quarantine until further notice due to two equine deaths.

Once management was notified of the first death on Monday, the horse was transported to Cornell University Equine hospital for necropsy and the barn area was locked down.

The results of that necropsy have confirmed that Equine Herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) was the cause of death.

A second horse died Tuesday and a third was transported to Cornell while still alive on Wednesday; testing is pending on those.

Out of an abundance of caution, live racing for Friday (May 6) and Saturday (May 7) and this week’s qualifiers at Vernon Downs have been canceled, pending regulatory approval.

The New York State Gaming Commission and New York Department of Agriculture are engaged and advising Vernon staff. A separate, informational release from those offices with greater detail on the events and the virus itself has also been posted.

To read the advisory issued by the NYSGC, click here.

Further details will be made public as they are available.