Quarantine will force Swiss Skydiver, Crazy Beautiful to miss stakes starts
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The quarantine of Barn 86 at Saratoga due to a confirmed case of equine herpesvirus from a horse stabled in that barn will prevent trainer Ken McPeek from running several prominent horses in upcoming stakes at Saratoga.
McPeek was planning to run Crazy Beautiful and Tabor Hall in next Saturday’s Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks for 3-year-old fillies; Swiss Skydiver, the Preakness and Alabama winner, in next Sunday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Shuvee Stakes; and King Fury in the Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy on July 31.
But a 21-day quarantine has been placed on that barn by the New York State veterinarian and the New York State Gaming Commission after a horse trained by Jorge Abreu, also stabled in that barn, on Thursday tested positive for equine herpesvirus. The quarantine is retroactive to July 11, the day the horse in question showed signs of being ill and was shipped from the track to the nearby Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital.
McPeek said Friday afternoon he had not yet been told that there was a 21-day quarantine period put in place. He was holding out hope that he could run Swiss Skydiver in the Shuvee as a prep for the Personal Ensign.
“I don’t know what you do other than you deal with it,” McPeek said. “It’d be one thing if it were our doing, one thing if we had a sick horse, which we don’t. That’s the frustrating part. We came up here and we worked hard to get set up.”
McPeek has 30 horses stabled in that barn, Abreu has 15. McPeek had to scratch one horse entered for Friday and will have to scratch three from Saturday’s card and four from Sunday.
During the initial quarantine period, horses stabled in Barn 86 may not enter races or train with the general horse population. Those horses may train from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the Oklahoma training track.
On Friday, McPeek worked four horses, including the promising 2-year-old filly Penny Saver.
Abreu said the horse who tested positive for equine herpesvirus is improving and is still in the hospital. Abreu said he has not had any other horses show any symptoms of being ill.
Abreu has horses stabled in another barn at Saratoga and at the harness track, and those horses – including Star Devine and Liveyourbeastlife both entered to run Sunday – will be permitted to start.