Churchill Downs Takes Action
Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby 2023 date, has implemented new safety measures to ensure the safety of all horses racing and an enjoyable experience for all attendees at their events.
Churchill Downs enacts new safety measures after 12 horse deaths – https://t.co/pFtzgZkgzC pic.twitter.com/Ef0MRNcXBQ
— CWEB (@cweb) June 2, 2023
There was plenty of news on Kentucky Derby lately, but unfortunately, much of it revolved around the stunning spate of tragic events involving the deaths of several horses. And the venue was no town fair track either, the disastrous events all occurred at the iconic Churchill Downs, perhaps the most revered thoroughbred horse track in the world.
In case you missed it, here is a quick recap of the story that BetUS has been covering regarding Kentucky Derby news.
Death at the Downs
The calamitous series of events began on April 29 when a 3-year-old gelding, Code of Kings, flipped and bucked his way to a broken neck.
And then two horses, Take Charge Briana and a long-shot Derby contender, Wild on Ice, both had to be euthanized after suffering injuries on both the turf and dirt tracks at the Downs. But if that wasn’t enough – and it certainly was – another pair of horses, Parents Pride and Chasing Artie, raced on separate days and both collapsed after their races and died.
News from Churchill Downs: Wild on Ice – a longshot Derby qualifier – was injured this AM and won’t run in the Kentucky Derby. With his departure, Skinner moves into the final available slot.
If there’s another defection, Dale Romans’ Cyclone Mischief is next in line to move in: pic.twitter.com/8T4ik35jOE
— Steve Kornacki (@SteveKornacki) April 27, 2023
But wait, there’s more. On the day of the Derby, a horse named Chloe’s Dream suffered a knee injury after the second race while another thoroughbred, Freezing Point, sustained an ankle injury after the eighth race. Both injuries were fatal and the horses had to be humanely destroyed.
In total, a dozen horses had to be euthanized since the spring meet season began and the deaths are attracting plenty of unwarranted attention from horse racing fans and animal activists alike.
New Safety Measures
Although Churchill Downs is not temporarily shutting down its operations to investigate the all-too-coincidental deaths of these horses, they have taken steps to make the environment safer for the horses that race there by adopting new safety measures.
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has decided to implement the following protocols:
- Restricting the number of starts per horse to four during a rolling eight-week period.
- Enacting ineligibility standards for poor performance. Horses that are beaten by more than 12 lengths in five consecutive starts will be ineligible to race at Churchill Downs until approved by the Equine Medical Director to return.
- Eliminating track-based incentives such as trainer start bonuses and purse pay-outs to every race finisher through last place. Purse pay-outs will now be limited to the top five finishers.
“HISA continues to urgently seek additional answers to more clearly identify the causes of these recent fatalities as well as tangible interventions to prevent them in the future,” HISA said in a news release. “All options remain on the table, and HISA will continue to vigilantly monitor events at Churchill Downs moving forward.”
HISA has undertaken multiple measures to better understand the circumstances surrounding the recent spate of equine fatalities at Churchill Downs and is now implementing additional efforts to minimize risk. More: https://t.co/GmPol4cBWp
— The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (@hisa_us) June 1, 2023
Churchill Downs Equine Medical Director Dr. Will Farmer said, “Any decision must be made first and foremost with the long-term well-being of the horse in mind. It is imperative that all available, educated, and informed options can be efficiently, confidently, and thoroughly relayed to the owners.”
BetUS will continue to keep its readers informed as events unfold.
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