The barn area at the Payson Park training center in Indiantown Gap, Florida,
was quarantined Saturday following the death of a Thoroughbred on Friday from
the suspected equine herpesvirus (EHV-1), according to the Daily Racing Form.
Mark Fagan, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture, confirmed that
the deceased horse was trained by John Hennig.
Payson Park is a private training center with some top stables. Bill Mott,
Christophe Clement, Tom Albertrani and John Kimmel are among the conditioners
with horses on the grounds. Global powerhouse Godolphin also has horses at
Payson, led by undefeated superstar Discreet Cat (Forestry).
It is not known how long the quarantine will be in effect or how it will
affect the upcoming Gulfstream Park meet, which begins on January 3. Calder and
Tampa Bay Downs, which are both currently racing, announced precautionary
measures last week in response to the EHV-1 outbreak in Florida. The first
reported outbreak of the virus occurred two weeks ago at the local show grounds
in Wellington, Florida.