Joseph Plans Some Scratches but Will Run Lord Miles

After two of his horses suffered sudden deaths during or just after races on the first two days of the Churchill Downs spring meet, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said May 4 that he will scratch some of the horses he has entered today and this weekend at Churchill but plans to race others, including Lord Miles  in the Kentucky Derby (G1).

Joseph said that as a precaution he will scratch his horses that recently were based at Keeneland, as that's where the two horses that perished were based. He plans to run three horses that were not previously based at his Keeneland barn, as two of those horses arrived from Florida, including upset Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) winner Lord Miles.

In a statement issued by the track May 3, Churchill said the deaths of Joseph-trained Parents Pride  Saturday and Chasing Artie  Tuesday were sudden and the cause in each case remains unknown. Both had breezed in April at Keeneland out of Joseph's barn there.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission issued a statement May 4 saying that a necropsy would be conducted on each horse.

"The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission is actively investigating the recent and tragic racing and training fatalities in Kentucky. The KHRC is committed to the health and safety of every horse and rider and will follow the robust investigative procedures in place for issues of safety and racing integrity," the KHRC statement said. "As appropriate, musculoskeletal and sudden death necropsies will be performed at the University of Kentucky. Both types of necropsy are complete post-mortem examinations. Musculoskeletal necropsies focus on a known injury, while sudden death necropsies are broader in scope."

Joseph scratched Concrete Glory  from Thursday's third race, a starter allowance event on the dirt. He said he will scratch Lady Emily Kathryn  from Friday's first race, a maiden special weight on the dirt. 

The KHRC statement said Joseph requested that the stewards scratch Concrete Glory and the stewards followed suit.

For Saturday Joseph also plans to scratch the horses that were at his barn at Keeneland. Based on recent workouts, those horses are Shockwave , Cape Trafalgar , Sister Lou Ann , and Lookin for Roses . Joseph plans to run the three horses entered that were not at his Keeneland barn—White Abarrio , Master Piece , and Lord Miles. 

Besides Lord Miles, who returned to Florida after his upset Wood win at Aqueduct, White Abarrio has shipped in from New York and is entered in the Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) while Master Piece has arrived from Florida for the Turf Classic Stakes (G1T).

Joseph said initial exams of the horses that died didn't find any obvious problem and he said he'll await further testing that's expected to be completed in the next 30 days. Joseph said he's looked for any possible cause and drawn blood from his horses for testing.

"We're doing everything, doing our due diligence to test everything," Joseph said. "We're looking at any supplements, the feed, hay, straw. We're trying to get everything sent out to get tested.

"It's a very uneasy feeling. We are dealing with a matter that is not good for anybody."

Records maintained at OwnerView.com list two drug positives since 2015 for which Joseph was sanctioned. He's also appealing a Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission decision to disqualify Artie's Princess  from her victory in the $400,600 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes (G2) Sept. 19, 2022. That ruling calls for Joseph to be suspended for 15 days after the mare tested positive for gabapentin, a Class 3 drug in the Class B penalty category.

Joseph said he'll await more information from the necropsy of each horses and testing before venturing a guess on what happened to his two Churchill horses that died.

"We need to find out what happened; if there's a reason for it or if it was just random," Joseph said. "There's no answer yet."