Quarantine Lifted on Gulfstream Park Barn

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has lifted its quarantine of a Gulfstream Park barn that had been the stable of a horse that died Nov. 6 from the contagious Equine Herpes Virus.

The Florida DOACS and Gulfstream removed a series of restrictions late Nov. 21 after the regulatory agency completed tests and found that no other horses had the virus at Gulfstream in Hallandale Beach. 

As a result, approximately 25 horses at Gulfstream can resume regular training and racing.

The Florida DOACS Nov. 7 placed the quarantine on Barn 5, but not on any other Gulfstream barns. No horses were under quarantine in the stables at the former Calder Race Course facility, where Gulfstream is holding its annual Gulfstream Park West meet through Nov. 27.

Separately Tampa Bay Downs late Nov. 21 lifted its ban on horses being able to ship in from Gulfstream and from Gulfstream Park West in Miami Gardens. Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar will begin its 2016-17 meet Nov. 26.

Under the quarantine, the approximately 25 horses in Gulfstream's Barn 5 were allowed to train each day only from 10-11 a.m., which is outside the regular training hours at Gulfstream. Those horses also were not allowed to leave Gulfstream to race at the Gulfstream Park West meet or for other reasons.

On Nov. 11, Tampa Bay announced that it would not let any horses come in from either Gulfstream or Gulfstream Park West until Nov. 25 or until the quarantine was lifted.

Tampa Bay's decision had delayed Kathleen O'Connell, Gary Jackson, and several other trainers from vanning horses across the state from Florida to be stabled and race at Tampa Bay during its meet. Jackson has one horse entered at Tampa Bay Nov. 26. O'Connell has no entries at Tampa Bay that day. The Oldsmar track's next race day will be Nov. 30.

O'Connell will have about 50 horses based at Tampa Bay this season and 40 will stay in South Florida to race at the Gulfstream Park meet that begins Dec. 3.

"They'd already be at Tampa by now," O'Connell said Nov. 16. "It's an inconvenience. But (Tampa Bay is) doing the right thing. We'll ship over the day after (the quarantine) is lifted."

O'Connell finished third in wins at Tampa Bay's 2015-16 meet with 38. She trailed Dale Bennett, who had 51 wins, and Jamie Ness, who had 39.

Gulfstream officials said the horse that died from EHV-1 was trained by John Assimakopoulos.