Churchill Downs has suspended racing operations at the track for the remainder of the 2023 spring meet following the deaths of 12 horses over the past six weeks.
Live racing will take place as planned this weekend on June 3rd and 4th, but after Sunday’s action the track will go dark.
The spring meeting, which runs through July 3, will be moved to Ellis Park, after multiple emergency meetings in Louisville this week.
Next Wednesday to Friday’s races have been canceled and will not be made up with Ellis Park taking over the remainder on June 10.
The move has been made to conduct a “top-to-bottom” review of safety and surface protocols in the wake of the Kentucky Derby home fatality.
Churchill Downs suspended racing operations for the remainder of the spring meet
The races will take place as planned on June 3 and 4, but then the track will be darkened
The announcement comes after 12 horses have died at the track since April and officials have yet to identify a commonality between the deaths.
A statement late Friday said no single factor has been identified as a potential cause of the fatalities or the pattern detected, but decided to move the meeting “out of an abundance of caution.”
“What has happened at our track is deeply disturbing and absolutely unacceptable,” Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen said in the statement.
“We need to take more time to conduct a top-to-bottom review of all the details and circumstances so that we can further strengthen our surface protocols, security and integrity.”
Races at Ellis Park will have the same conditions and purse money as they would at Churchill Downs, while trainers and jockeys will receive a stipend for additional costs, according to WLKY.
The Ellis Park meeting was scheduled to begin July 7 and run through Aug. 27, but will now be extended with Friday’s announcement.
The move comes a day after track superintendent Dennis Moore conducted a second independent review of Churchill Downs’ racing and training surfaces as part of an emergency summit called this week by the Integrity Authority and Horse Racing Safety (HISA) with the track and Kentucky Horse Racing. commission
The head of the federally created oversight agency suggested before the summit that he might recommend stopping the meeting and that Churchill Downs would accept that recommendation.
Horseracing’s regulatory authority and Churchill Downs had each announced additional health and safety measures on Thursday.
Earlier Thursday, Churchill Downs announced it would immediately limit horses to four starts over an eight-week period and impose ineligibility standards for poor results.
Seven horses died before the Kentucky Derby that was run in Louisville
The dual announcements came just before Churchill Downs’ spring meeting resumed after several days of meetings during an emergency summit called by HISA to examine the worrying influx of deaths.
All but two deaths have been attributed to leg injuries in races or training. The other two are of unknown cause, but all are being investigated by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and HISA.
The summit included the KHRC, HISA and Churchill Downs.
HISA described the dialogue as productive in its statement, adding that the conclusions of the summit have been shared directly with key stakeholders to inform next steps.
“While no obvious or specific pattern emerged, HISA welcomes Churchill Downs’ efforts announced today to minimize the risk of equine deaths,” the statement added.
In addition, HISA said equine forensic specialist Alina Vale will conduct a thorough review of all necropsies performed on covered horses. Vale performed postmortem reviews as the official veterinarian for the California Horse Racing Board following a series of fatalities at Santa Anita in 2019.
Other Churchill Downs initiatives include pausing incentives such as trainer start bonuses and purse payments to each race finisher, with payouts limited to the top five finishers. Churchill Downs officials say they will continue discussions with horsemen to determine how to allocate the funds.
A statement from Churchill Downs stated that California equine surgeon Ryan Carpenter presented trainers and veterinarians with information and tools on advanced interventions for certain injuries. Churchill Downs equine medical director Will Farmer said there was “a duty” to offer information from someone who recently experienced similar challenges in California.
He said in the statement that decisions about the long-term welfare of the horses must come first. “It is imperative that all available, educated and informed options can be conveyed to owners in an efficient, safe and comprehensive manner.”
Cox said he heard “a lot” at the meeting and left it at that.
Saffie Joseph Jr. was suspended by Churchill Downs before the Kentucky Derby after the shocking deaths of two of his horses within 71 hours of each other.
“I think Churchill is trying to dot every I and cross every T,” the coach said during an NTRA teleconference. “A lot has happened since the meeting started and hopefully we will get to the end.”
Churchill Downs’ ineligibility measure affects horses that lose more than 12 lengths in five consecutive starts. They cannot race at Churchill Downs until Farmer clears them to return.
Seven horses died in the days leading up to the 149th Kentucky Derby on May 6, including two on the undercard. Five horses have since died, including two 7-year-olds last weekend from similar leg injuries.
HISA veterinary teams reviewed the information and analysis on Tuesday. Moore began a second independent analysis of Churchill Downs’ training and racing surfaces on Wednesday.
