Saturday, November 15, 2008
Concerned about the spread of a highly contagious virus discovered in a horse at Laurel Park on Wednesday, the Maryland Jockey Club yesterday barred all horses from shipping into the track except from the Bowie Training Center.
A 2-year-old filly in the barn of trainer King Leatherbury was found unable to stand in her stall Wednesday, and after blood testing at the University of Maryland was found to have equine herpesvirus, which can cause upper respiratory infection and severe neurological problems.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture quarantined the barn and began testing other horses that live there. Tom Chuckas, president of the Maryland Jockey Club, then announced the restriction on shippers.
"It was a precautionary move," Chuckas said. "It's in the best interest of everyone in the industry. It helps to facilitate the ability of horses not based on the grounds to race in other jurisdictions."
The Laurel racing office reported 48 horses scratched from yesterday's race card -- more than half the number entered -- including 38 shippers and another 10 local horses that were scratched because rain forced races off the turf.
The quarantine on the barn, called an investigational animal hold order, lasts 21 days. Chuckas did not rule out cutting races at the track if the racing office struggles with small fields. The race card this afternoon has lost 29 runners, and one race has just two horses remaining.
· AUTO RACING: NASCAR has suspended all testing at its sanctioned tracks next season in a cost-cutting measure that should help teams save several million dollars in their 2009 budgets.
The moratorium, announced yesterday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, bans testing at any NASCAR-sanctioned track, including facilities where its low-level Camping World East and West series races. . . .
Carl Edwards, facing a daunting 141-point deficit heading into the Ford 400, qualified fourth, trailing only first-time pole winner David Reutimann, rookie Scott Speed and Roush Fenway Racing teammate Matt Kenseth. Jimmie Johnson, who needs only to finish 36th or better tomorrow to wrap up his third straight Cup title, will start 30th.
· COLLEGES: Florida guard Nick Calathes ran up about $600 in debt playing poker online but did not bet on sporting events, which would have violated NCAA rules, according to a person close to the program. . . .
Florida State wide receivers Taiwan Easterling, Bert Reed, Corey Surrency, Cameron Wade and Richard Goodman are suspended for tonight's game against Boston College for their involvement in a campus fight Wednesday. . . .
Tony Pike threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns and visiting No. 22 Cincinnati remained in the hunt for the Big East title with a 28-20 win over reeling Louisville. . . .
Matt Poole converted a penalty kick in overtime as fourth-seeded Virginia upset top-seeded Wake Forest, 3-2, in the ACC men's tournament semifinals, halting the top-ranked Demon Deacons' unbeaten streak at 24. In tomorrow's final in Cary, N.C., the Cavaliers (11-7-1) will face second-seeded Maryland (17-3), which edged third-seeded Boston College, 1-0, on a 78th-minute own goal for its 10th straight win.
· HOCKEY: Barry Melrose's return to the NHL as coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning lasted 16 games. Now the job belongs to assistant Rick Tocchet.
· BASEBALL: Free agent season opened with the New York Yankees planning to give CC Sabathia a record offer for a pitcher. Co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner confirmed at the Yankees' spring training complex in Tampa that an offer was made to Sabathia, and that proposals will be forthcoming for pitchers A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe.
· TENNIS: Andy Murray ousted defending champion Roger Federer from the Masters Cup in Shanghai, rallying for a 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 victory. Murray will play Nikolay Davydenko in today's semifinals. Gilles Simon will meet Novak Djokovic.
· GOLF: Angela Stanford shot a 6-under-par 66 in the second round of the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico, to take a two-stroke lead over Yani Tseng.
· WINTER SPORTS: Teenager Patrick Chan enjoyed his best performance of the season and Joannie Rochette overcame a spill as the Canadian figure skaters led after the men's and women's short programs in the Trophee Bompard in Paris. . . .
Shani Davis of the United States edged Dutchmen Stefan Groothuis and Mark Tuitkert to win the 1,500-meter speedskating race at a meet in Heerenveen, Netherlands.
-- From News Services and Staff Reports
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