Churchill Calls Equine Fatalities Unusual, Unacceptable

In the wake of four recent equine fatalities, Churchill Downs racetrack released a statement May 3 about the incidents, 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. That course has been under scrutiny since it received an overhaul ahead of the 2022 spring meet but then was used sparingly last year as problems emerged. That said, at least two of the three equine deaths on the course did not appear to be related to the surface.

"Transparency is an important component of our commitment to safety and accountability in horse racing," the track 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 Saturday and Chasing Artie  on Tuesday, were sudden and the cause in each case remains unknown. Take Charge Briana , running in the fifth race May 2 on the turf, "sustained an injury in upper stretch, fell, and was vanned off," according to the Equibase chart.

The other horse to suffer a catastrophic musculoskeletal injury was Kentucky Derby (G1) contender Wild On Ice , who died Thursday while training on dirt. Wild On Ice was transported to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, but was euthanized.

"While a series of events like this is highly unusual, it is completely unacceptable," the 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 in keeping with Kentucky Horse Racing Commission rules. 

"We continue to press for answers and are working with regulators to conduct swift and thorough investigations," the statement said. "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."

The racing industry has worked hard to reduce such incidents. Since 2009 such incidents during racing have been reduced 37.5% and 2023 marked a record low for such incidents at just 1.25 per 1,000 starts. That is to say that such incidents were avoided in 99.88% of starts.

As for the specifics of the recent incidents, Joseph said both of his turf horses that perished were not from breakdowns. He said the Equibase chart that described his horse Parents Pride as injured in the eighth race April 29 was in error. Chasing Artie succumbed when returning to be unsaddled after being lethargic during the eighth race May 2. Early in the race he was bumped hard by a rival to his inside and then bounced into a rival to his outside.

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

BloodHorse attempted to find further detail on the equine deaths but KHRC equine medical director Bruce Howard declined comment until he could receive approval from public relations officials that assist the KHRC.

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.

Turf racing continued as scheduled May 3, with a full field in one race and one scratch in the other, the Mamzelle Stakes. Churchill has nine graded stakes races scheduled for the course Friday and Saturday, including five graded stakes on the Kentucky Derby undercard.

In an interview prior to Tuesday's races, a Churchill official said Monday 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," said track senior vice president and general manager Mike Ziegler May 1.

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

Following an equine fatality June 10 during racing on the 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 root system develop. Additionally, the track didn't race on the course during the September meet and limited the number of turf races in the fall. Eight races were run on the course in the autumn session (three Claiming Crown races came off the turf after Nov. 12 weather including snow), 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 built.

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 use of a different grass mixture and a new irrigation system.

Ahead of this year's spring meet, trainer Brendan Walsh said he was 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 condition and was optimistic about its future.

"We've breezed two horses on it and I thought it was fantastic," he said. "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 story.