Tampa Bay Downs reported minimal harm to the entrance aspect of the Oldsmar, Fla., monitor and appreciable flooding within the barn space following the assault of Hurricane Milton through the night of Oct. 9.
The Class 3 storm made landfall at 8:30 p.m. ET the evening earlier than in Siesta Key, Fla, a barrier island subsequent to Sarasota on the western aspect of the state. Siesta Key’s about 60 miles south of Tampa. Oldsmar is off the northern coast of Outdated Tampa Bay, roughly 25 miles from downtown Tampa.
Tampa Bay Downs, which runs from Nov. 22 by means of Might 3, didn’t have any horses on the grounds. Observe workers have been out of the workplace since Oct. 7 to arrange for the storm, in response to Margo Flynn, vp of promoting and publicity. The monitor closed its simulcasting and poker site Oct. 8
“Attributable to no energy, downed energy strains, and fallen bushes on the encompassing roads, we’re unable to get any crews in to get a better look. We’re below a stay-in-place order,” Flynn informed BloodHorse Oct. 10.
Some areas within the Tampa metropolitan space had been hit significantly arduous. A part of the roof at Tropicana Discipline, house of Main League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays, was ripped away by the excessive winds.
The storm then proceeded east throughout Central Florida as a Class 1 hurricane, with the middle of its path crossing south of Orlando earlier than persevering with into the Atlantic Ocean. Milton spawned a number of tornadoes, and an estimated three million properties and companies had been with out energy at 10 a.m. ET Thursday. 4 deaths had been confirmed in St. Lucie County on Florida’s Atlantic coast, the place officers stated tornadoes touched down.
Some horse farms within the Ocala space, the county seat of Marion County, about 98 miles northeast of Tampa, are reporting minimal harm.
“We had been nearly unscathed at Bridlewood,” stated George Isaacs, basic supervisor of the farm owned by John and Leslie Malone. “For these occasions, you put together for the worst and hope for the most effective. After all, you deliver all of the horses inside and maintain them out of the wind and the climate. We might be turning out this afternoon.”
With Hurricane Milton forecast to hit Florida, Ocala Breeders’ Gross sales moved up its October Yearling Sale by a day to Monday and Tuesday. Most horses had been transported off the grounds earlier than the hurricane arrived, however the roughly 75 horses that remained at OBS had been in good situation on Thursday after the storm, in response to OBS director of communications Alicia Hughes.
Hughes stated the Ocala space skilled heavy rain, however OBS had no harm or lack of energy. Images taken by Hughes confirmed solely restricted particles on the gross sales grounds following the storm.
