NYRA Adds Two Recent CDI Equine Safety Protocols

Two equine participation restrictions put in place early this month for racing at Churchill Downs and later Ellis Park will be adopted beginning June 22 at Belmont Park by the New York Racing Association. 

The NYRA rules will prohibit horses beaten by more than 12 lengths in five consecutive starts from competition at NYRA tracks until approved by its veterinarian department, and horses will be limited to four starts in a rolling eight-week period.

Similar track-led rule changes in Kentucky were initially instituted by Churchill Downs Inc., which further adjusted participation bonuses and purse payments after Churchill Downs experienced a spike in equine fatalities there this spring. The spring meet at the Louisville, Ky., track was moved to Ellis Park, another CDI facility, located about a two-hour drive away in Henderson, Ky. Training continues at Churchill.

Belmont Park has not experienced as many catastrophic equine injuries as Churchill Downs, where at least 13 horses have perished this spring, but Belmont had a fatality on Belmont Stakes Day, June 10, and others during the ongoing meet have generated media attention.

Only a small percentage of horses are likely to become ineligible due to the rules in place at NYRA and CDI-owned tracks in Kentucky.

"The adoption of these safety protocols aligns NYRA with certain measures put in place at CDI properties in Kentucky and will add another degree of uniformity for horsemen competing in both jurisdictions," said Pat McKenna, vice president of communications for NYRA.