Wakanaka scratched from Matriarch Stakes after positive nasal swab

Wakanaka, the winner of two stakes in her last three starts, will be scratched from Sunday’s Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes at Del Mar after testing positive for equine herpesvirus in a nasal swab test, the California Horse Racing Board announced in a statement on Saturday.

Wakanaka was one of three horses that arrived at Del Mar from Churchill on Tuesday. Because of a recent outbreak of EHV-1 at Churchill Downs, the horses were quarantined in a separate barn on the Del Mar backstretch.

While the horses displayed no signs of illness, blood tests were conducted that revealed no abnormalities, the racing board statement’s said.

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A subsequent nasal swap revealed that Wakanaka was “mildly positive” with a “very low viral load,” according to California equine medical director Jeff Blea.

“Out (of) an abundance of caution, Wakanaka will not be allowed to compete in the Matriarch Stakes as planned,” Blea said in the statement.

Trained by Bill Mott, Wakanaka has won 8 of 15 starts and earned $647,513. She was the 5-1 joint second choice on the morning line for the $400,000 Matriarch Stakes at a mile on turf for fillies and mares.

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