The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) has released the quarantine of Barn 9 at Ellis Park following a third round of negative test results for the equine bacterial disease known as strangles.

Under the protocol established by the KDA, each horse in the quarantined barn was tested for strangles in three consecutive tests before being allowed to return to the general horse population at Ellis Park. Nasal wash samples were taken during the first two tests while the final test consisted of an endoscopic examination of the guttural pouches of each horse to ensure no infection was present.

The quarantine was contained to the single barn. Ron Moquett trains all 16 horses that were under restrictions. State agriculture officials had previously praised both the track and Moquett’s efforts in taking preventative measures to halt the spread of the disease.

“Doc Leibring (Rodney Leibring, DVM, Moquett’s veterinarian) is definitely a hero in this,” said Paul Kuerzi, vice president and general manager of Ellis Park. “His quick action saved everyone a lot of heartache