Tampa Bay: Two barns placed under quarantine after equine herpesvirus positive

Two barns at Tampa Bay Downs have been placed under quarantine after a horse stabled in one of them tested positive for equine herpesvirus, a highly contagious virus that can cause respiratory disease, reproductive issues, and neurological conditions.

The horse who tested positive, from the barn of trainer Kathleen O’Connell, has been moved to an off-site clinic, according to Allison DeLuca, Tampa’s racing secretary.

Horses stabled in O’Connell’s barn and an adjoining barn, where horses trained by Gregg Sacco, Michael Yates, and Mike Ferraro are stabled, will not be permitted to race or train with the general horse population for 21 days, that period having begun Dec. 7. Officials said that a wash-rack that can be shared by the two barns is the reason the second barn was put under quarantine.

Tampa has adjusted training hours to 5:30-9:15 a.m. for the general population. After the last horse clears the track, horses in the quarantine barns will be permitted to train until 10:30 a.m.

According to DeLuca, Tampa is not restricting horses from other jurisdictions from shipping in to race and returning to their point of origin. It will be up to other tracks and training centers to decide whether to accept Tampa shippers on a race-and-return basis.

As of Thursday, Mike Lakow, vice president of racing operations at Gulfstream Park, has said Gulfstream will not permit horses who leave one of 1/ST Racing’s facilities – Gulfstream or the Palm Meadows training center – to race at Tampa and return.

In addition, Tampa has adjusted its racing calendar. It will cancel Sunday programs scheduled for Dec. 21 and 28 and will add Thursdays Feb. 5 and 12. Races in the condition book for Dec. 21 and 28 will be used as extras for upcoming programs.

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