Duplicate

In the wake of four recent equine fatalities, Churchill Downs racetrack released a statement May 3 saying the events were "unusual" and "unacceptable" but that track officials, riders and horsemen have confidence in the racing surfaces.

Three of the deaths involved horses who raced on the turf course in the spring meet's first days.

"Transparency is an important component of our commitment to safety and accountability in horse racing," the statement began. "We share the concern of our fans who have questions about the recent equine fatalities at Churchill Downs Racetrack and we extend our sincere condolences to those who love and cared for these horses."

The statement said the deaths of two horses trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., Parents Pride  on April 29 and Chasing Artie  on May 2, were sudden and the cause in each case remains unknown.

Two other horses sustained catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries: Kentucky Derby contender Wild on Ice April 27 while training on dirt and Take Charge Briana during a turf race Tuesday. Wild on Ice was transported to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, but both were euthanized.

"While a series of events like this is highly unusual, it is completely unacceptable," the Churchill Downs statement said. "We take this very seriously and acknowledge that these troubling incidents are alarming and must be addressed. We feel a tremendous responsibility to our fans, the participants in our sport and the entire industry to be a leader in safety and continue to make significant investments to eliminate risk to our athletes. We have full confidence in our racing surfaces and have been assured by our riders and horsemen that they do as well."

Churchill said all four horses were taken to the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostics Lab for necropsies, which is required by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. 

"We continue to press for answers and are working with regulators to conduct swift and thorough investigations," the statement continued. "The safety and well-being of horses is a critical issue for which everyone in the industry shares responsibility; however, we will continue to take every measure to ensure that we are providing the safest possible environment for horses on our property."

Churchill Downs Inc. provides fatalities figures for its racetracks to The Jockey Club's Equine Injury Database but does not publicly display its tracks' injury figures on the EID online platform.

Joseph said both of his turf horses who perished were not from breakdowns, saying the Equibase chart that described Parents Pride as injured in the eighth race on Tuesday was in error.

Equine deaths unrelated to breakdowns are typically referred to as sudden deaths, a classification that reflects unexpected demise during or following exercise, with heart attacks being one type of sudden death.

Chasing Artie succumbed when returning to be unsaddled after being lethargic during the eighth race on Tuesday.

Joseph said he was perplexed by what specifically happened and said he and his staff were grieving the loss of the two horses.

Take Charge Briana, running in the fifth race May 2, "sustained an injury in upper stretch, fell and was vanned off," according to the Equibase chart.

Turf racing continued as scheduled May 3 with a full field in one race and one scratch in the other, the Mamzelle Stakes.

In an interview prior to Tuesday's races, a Churchill official said May 1 that the track's second-year, $10 million turf course was back to a normal schedule after a maiden year where track officials hit pause to allow the root system to develop further.

"After the series of turf works that we've had, the communications we've had with the trainers and riders are that the turf course is in good shape, and it's business as usual," Churchill Downs senior vice president and general manager Mike Ziegler said. "We're happy with it."

Its first year saw interruptions in the use of the turf course, which was laid down with sod in the fall of 2021. 

After the course debuted last spring, it initially received positive reviews from riders and horsemen, but wear and tear became noticeable as the meet went on with grass not as lush as when the meet started.

Following an equine fatality June 10 during racing on its grass course, Churchill announced a two-week suspension of turf racing that was extended to the meet's final week, all to help the turf's mature. Additionally, ran only two races on the course in the summer for a day of racing featuring the Arlington Million (G1T) and Beverly D. Stakes (G1T), and later the track did not race on the course during the September meet and said a limited number of turf races last fall would be offered.

Eight races were run over the course in the fall meet (three Claiming Crown races came off the turf after Nov. 12 weather including snow left the main track sloppy), compared to 14 in 2020, 26 in 2019 and 23 in 2018. No turf racing was conducted in the September or fall 2021 meets as the new course was prepared and then laid down with sod.

The $10 million investment in the new turf course followed problems Churchill had with its prior turf course during its cooler fall meets, leading to a suspension of grass racing in fall 2020. Following the 2021 spring meet, construction began on the current course that widened the surface with four rail positions, designed for increased durability through the use of a different grass mixture and a new irrigation system.

Trainer Brendan Walsh said earlier this week that he is pleased with what he sees.

"It looks like there's more substance to the turf this year, to the grass, so there's a better cover of grass on it," Walsh said. "It looked like it rode pretty good the other (opening) night, so hopefully it stays that way."

Walsh, whose operation includes a healthy number of turf runners at Churchill, was understanding of the disruptions of the construction period and last year's limited usage.

"It's obviously been inconvenient, but they did try their very best to do what's right, you know," Walsh said. "Sometimes these things are out of peoples' control."

Prior to this spring meet, trainer Brad Cox also praised the course's current condition and was optimistic about its future. He reiterated his backing of the turf course on Wednesday when asked about the recent fatalities.

"We've breezed two horses on it and I thought it was fantastic," he said before the meet. "The horses breezed great. It didn't seem like they were chewing it up one bit. So what little I've seen with the two workers, it was fantastic."

-Byron King contributed to this report.