Global Courant 2023-05-07 00:20:12
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — A star-crossed Kentucky Derby lost its early favorite when Forte was scratched and a sixth horse died earlier Saturday at Churchill Downs.
“This is part of racing and it’s the brutal thing,” Mike Repole, co-owner of Forte, said in an interview with FanDuel TV.
Fort was the fifth scratch of the Derby in the days leading up to the $3 million race for 3-year-olds. Chloe’s Dream, a 3-year-old gelding who ran on the Derby undercard, is the sixth horse to have died at Churchill Downs in recent days.
The string of horse deaths cast a shadow on some derby goers on a mostly cloudy and warm day.
“It’s worrying, and I hope they do their best soon to rectify everything that’s going on,” said Michael Freeze, who dressed as jockeys with his friend. “They have to do what’s best for the horses and the sport in general.”
Chloe’s Dream was running in race two on Saturday and made a bad move in the first corner. The horse was taken away in an equine ambulance with a right front knee injury and was euthanized, trainer Jeff Hiles confirmed to The Associated Press.
“He just made a bad move there,” Hiles said. “They could do the same in the field as they did on the track. So it’s very unfortunate. We deal with that.”
New anti-doping and medication rules enforced by a central governing body of the sport are scheduled to go into effect on May 22.
“Something is going on,” said Pat Murtha, who attended his first derby. “They need to find out and put in place some rules and regulations to protect these animals.”
Forte had been the early 3-1 favourite; his absence decreases the field up to 18 horses for the 1 1/4 mile race.
Repole said Kentucky Horse Racing Commission vets diagnosed Forte with a bruised foot. He said the colt had suffered the bruise a few days ago. The colt stumbled during a workout on Thursday, though trainer Todd Pletcher had publicly downplayed it.
Behind the scenes was a different story.
“We did X-rays, we brought in vets, the state vets came in and they watched him every day,” Repole said in the interview. “He’s fine. He probably needs a few more days (to recover).”
Pletcher has two more horses in the Derby: Tapit Trice and Kingsbarns.
A crowd of around 150,000 is expected to jam Churchill Downs to bet and watch the Derby. Post time is 6:57 PM EDT.
Horse deaths included Derby contender Wild On Ice. Two of the horses were trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. He was suspended indefinitely from the track, though investigators have yet to determine a cause for his horses’ deaths.
“It doesn’t make me happy when a horse is euthanized,” said racer Joe Conforto, wearing jockey goggles and a stuffed horse on his head. “But I think a lot of it is bad luck. Most racehorses are better cared for than people.”
Four horses have been scratched in recent days: Practical Move, Lord Miles, Continuar and Skinner. Practical Move and Skinner had a fever, while Continuar, according to his Japanese trainer, was not in top condition. Lord Miles was Joseph’s derby horse.
Forte was the 2-year champion last year and has a five-race winning streak.
“You can only be a 3-year-old colt on the first Saturday in May once in your life,” said Repole. “I feel sorry for the horse.”
