Seventh horse dies at Churchill Downs ahead of Kentucky Derby
The death count at Churchill Downs grew to seven in a week when two horses were injured during racing and euthanized.
Chloe’s Dream, a 3-year-old gelding, was pulled up in the second race for maidens, vanned off and then euthanized. In the Pat Day Mile race, Freezing Points, a 3-year-old colt, was pulled up in the chute shortly after the start of the race. The horse was vanned off and later given a lethal injection.
There were no details of either of the injuries.
It was yet another black cloud over a sport that has been wrestling with safety and perception issues. In addition to the seven deaths, a trainer was suspended because of two of the deaths and five horses were scratched from the Kentucky Derby.
The 149th running of the Kentucky Derby features a competitive field of 18 horses. Follow along for live updates, the latest betting odds and results.
The first death was a week ago Thursday when Wild on Ice was injured while training and taken to an equine hospital in Lexington, where he was euthanized.
Last Saturday, two horses died. Parents Pride, trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., was pulled up in the stretch and died on the track. In California, such an incident would be referred to as “sudden death” pending a necropsy. Later, in the paddock, Code of Kings flipped over twice and broke his neck.
There were two more deaths on Tuesday. Take Charge Briana broke down in the stretch and was subsequently euthanized. Chasing Artie, also trained by Joseph, finished her race and collapsed near the winner’s circle.
Morning line favorite Forte was scratched out of the Kentucky Derby after a state veterinary examination Saturday. He’s the fifth to be scratched.
Churchill Downs acknowledged four of the deaths and issued a statement.
“While a series of events like this is highly unusual, it is completely unacceptable,” the statement read. “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.”
On Thursday, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission in conjunction with Churchill Downs suspended Joseph indefinitely while it explores the nature of the deaths. It caused Lord Miles to be scratched out of the Kentucky Derby.
On Saturday morning, early favorite Forte was scratched after the state veterinarian watched the horse gallop.
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