Global Courant
Churchill Downs announced on Friday that after this weekend it will suspend racing until July 3 amid an unusually high number of horse deaths at the track.
Twelve horses have died at the racecourse since April 27.
“The Churchill Downs team takes great pride in our commitment to safety and strives to set the highest standard in racing, consistently going beyond the rules and policies required,” said Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI).
“What has happened at our track is deeply distressing and absolutely unacceptable. Despite our efforts to find a cause for the recent horse injuries, and although there are no issues linked to our racing surfaces or environment at Churchill Downs, we must We are taking more time to conduct a top-to-bottom review of all details and circumstances so that we can further strengthen our surface, security and integrity protocols.”
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Churchill Downs ahead of the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 6, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Horse racing officials held an emergency summit on Tuesday to discuss the deaths at the track. Track officials also met with riders at the Trackside Training Center in Louisville on Thursday in a meeting that resulted in a number of changes taking effect immediately. All 12 fatalities will be investigated and an investigation into track conditions will be launched.
However, at this time “no factor has been identified as a possible cause and no discernible pattern has been discovered to link the fatalities,” Churchill Downs said in a statement Friday.
“Expert diagnostic tests of the circuit have raised no concerns and the experts have concluded that the surface is consistent with previous measurements of Churchill Downs in recent years,” the circuit added.
Spring Meet operations, which were supposed to begin next week at the track, will be moved to Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky, starting Saturday, June 10. “to review all top-down safety and surface protocols and integrity measures in collaboration and consultation with experts nationwide,” said CDI.
Roses in the winner’s circle with the Twin Spires in the background for the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 7, 2022 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“In addition to our commitment to providing our competitors with the safest racing environment, we have a tremendous responsibility as the economic engine of the Kentucky Thoroughbred industry, providing jobs and income to thousands of families every day,” continued Carstanjen. “Moving the rest of the meeting to Ellis Park allows us to preserve this industry ecosystem with only minor disruption. We are grateful to the Kentucky riders for their support, resilience and continued collaboration as we collectively work to find answers At this time .”
CHURCHILL DOWNS ANNOUNCES NEW SAFETY INITIATIVES IN RESPONSE TO ‘UNUSUALLY HIGH’ HORSE DEATHS
The most recent death on the track occurred on Saturday when Kimberley Dream, running in her 61st race, was euthanized after she stopped in the top stretch. She drove in the first race of the day at the famous circuit on Saturday. Her death came less than 24 hours after Lost in Limbo tumbled into the mud during the track’s seventh race on Friday and was unable to get up.
General view ahead of the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 6, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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In her last five races, Kimberley had lost Dream by 19, 32½, 14½, 31 and 33 lengths, according to the Los Angeles Times.
From April 27 to the Kentucky Derby on May 6, seven horses died from injuries or collapses on the track. Two of those horses died in the Derby undercard, and another, Wild on Ice, would enter the race won by Mage. Since then, five have died following runs on the track.
In 2019, more than 30 horses died at the Santa Anita track in California. The track stopped racing when tolls reached 21 and updated safety protocols. Since then, the number of horse fatalities in the state has decreased by 55%.
