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 scheduled this weekend on June 3-4, but after Sunday’s activity the track will turn dark.
The Spring Meet, which runs through July 3, will move to Ellis Park, following several emergency meetings in Louisville this week.
Races from Wednesday to next Friday have been canceled and will not be made up, with Ellis Park taking over on June 10.
The decision has been made to conduct a “top-down” review of safety and surface protocols following the deaths at the Kentucky Derby home.
Churchill Downs has suspended race operations for the remainder of the Spring Meet
The races will take place as planned on June 3 and 4 but the track will then darken
The announcement comes after 12 horses have died on the track since April, with officials yet to identify a commonality between the deaths.
A statement released on Friday afternoon said no single factor had been identified as a potential cause of the deaths or patterns detected, but he decided to move the meeting “with great caution”.
“What happened on our runway is deeply upsetting and absolutely unacceptable,” Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen said in the statement.
“We need to take more time to perform a top-down review of all details and circumstances so that we can further strengthen our surface, security and integrity protocols.”
Races at Ellis Park will have the same terms and purses as they would at Churchill Downs, while trainers and jockeys will receive an allowance for extra costs, according to WLKY.
The Ellis Park encounter was scheduled to start on July 7 and run through August 27, but will now expand with Friday’s announcement.
The move comes a day after Track Superintendent Dennis Moore conducted a second independent analysis of the racing and training surfaces at Churchill Downs as part of an emergency summit convened this week by Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) with the track and Kentucky Horse Racing. Commission.
The head of the watchdog agency created by the federal government suggested before the summit that he could recommend that the meeting be suspended and that Churchill Downs would accept this recommendation.
The horse racing watchdog and Churchill Downs had each announced additional safety and health measures on Thursday.
Earlier on Thursday, Churchill Downs announced it would immediately limit horses to four starts in a rolling eight-week period and impose ineligibility standards for underperformers.
Seven horses had died before the Kentucky Derby which took place in Louisville
The double announcement came just before the Churchill Downs spring meeting resumed after several days of meetings at an emergency summit convened by HISA to consider the worrying wave of deaths.
All but two of the deaths were attributed to leg injuries while running or training. The other two are of unknown causes, but all are being investigated by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and HISA.
The summit included KHRC, HISA and Churchill Downs.
HISA called the dialogue productive in its post and added that the conclusions of the summit were shared directly with key stakeholders to inform next steps.
“While no obvious or specific pattern has emerged, HISA welcomes Churchill Downs’ efforts announced earlier today to minimize the risk of equine fatalities,” the statement added.
Additionally, HISA said equine forensic specialist Alina Vale will conduct a thorough review of all necropsies performed on covered horses. Vale performed post-mortem examinations as an official veterinarian for the California Horse Racing Board following a series of deaths at Santa Anita in 2019.
Other Churchill Downs initiatives include suspending incentives, such as coach severances and purse payments to each race finisher, with payouts limited to the top five. Churchill Downs officials say they will continue discussions with riders to determine how to allocate the funds.
A statement from Churchill Downs said California-based equine surgeon Ryan Carpenter introduced trainers and veterinarians to information and tools on advanced interventions for certain injuries. Churchill Downs equine medical director Will Farmer said there was “a duty” to provide information to someone who recently encountered similar challenges in California.
He said in the statement that decisions about the horses’ long-term welfare must come first. “It is imperative that all available, educated and informed options can be communicated to owners in an efficient, confident and thorough manner.”
Cox said he “listened a lot” during the meeting and left it at that.
Saffie Joseph Jr. has been suspended by Churchill Downs ahead of 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 trainer said on an NTRA conference call. “A lot has happened since the start of the game and hopefully we get to the end.”
The Churchill Downs ineligibility measure impacts horses that lose more than 12 lengths in five consecutive starts. They can’t run to Churchill Downs until Farmer approves their return.
Seven horses died in the days leading up to the 149th Kentucky Derby on May 6, including two under the card. Five horses have since died, including two 7-year-olds last weekend from similar leg injuries.
HISA veterinary teams reviewed the information and analyzes on Tuesday. Moore began a second independent analysis of the Churchill Downs training and racing surfaces on Wednesday.
