Equine Death at Gulfstream Prompts Quarantine

[Wandering Eyes]

Two barns have been quarantined at Gulfstream Park after a horse died from unknown circumstances last night at the track, according to Dionne Benson, the Chief Veterinary Officer for The Stronach Group, who said that the quarantine would prompt a number of scratches on today's card.

The news was first reported by Daily Racing Form's Mike Welsch in a Tweet.

Dr. Benson said that the filly had gotten loose on the track yesterday morning, and run back to the barn area, entering a barn that was not hers. She was walked back to her barn, and was discovered down in her stall last night by a security guard.

“We got several stories about the horse and the reason (for the death),” said Benson. “It could very well be related to a trauma issue. Out of an abundance of caution because we didn't get the full story, we contacted the state vet and were instructed to quarantine the two barns the horse had been in. We have sent the horse for a necropsy and will have the results later today.”

Dr. Benson said that there was currently no indication that the case was related to the recent outbreak of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) at Laurel Park, also a Stronach Group track. “This was done in the consideration of safety for the horse and welfare for the entire horse population,” she said. “We did not see the incident. It was not reported to us earlier in the day.”

She said that additional precautions were being taken at Gulfstream because of an outbreak of EHV-1 in the show horse population near Ocala.

“We previously had dialed back our health certificate requirements from 72 hours to 24 hours,” said Benson, explaining that horses arriving at the track must now have been seen and certified as healthy within 24 hours before arrival, while the typical window is 72 hours. “So that gives us an extra added protection of those two days.”

This story will be updated.

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