Payson Park barn area quarantined

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.