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Federal horse racing group issues report on Churchill Downs deaths. Here are the findings

stephanie kuzydym, cincinnati enquirer
·3 min read
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Red roses in a bucket were left in the empty stall of former Kentucky Derby horse Wild On Ice at Barn 43 Friday, April 28, 2023 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The gelding suffered a fracture in the left hind leg while training the day before and had to be euthanized.
Red roses in a bucket were left in the empty stall of former Kentucky Derby horse Wild On Ice at Barn 43 Friday, April 28, 2023 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The gelding suffered a fracture in the left hind leg while training the day before and had to be euthanized.

An investigation by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority found there is no "causal relationship" between the Churchill Downs racetrack surface and the death of racehorses during the run-up to the 149th Kentucky Derby in May.

HISA, the federal agency created, in part, by Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to oversee safety in horse racing, released a 197-page report Tuesday morning, two days before the September Meet kicks off at Churchill.

It includes investigations into every fatality on and off the racetrack, including Code of Kings, who flipped in the paddock after becoming fixated on party lights at a nearby DJ booth, according to the 3-year-old gelding's trainer Tim Glyshaw.

During a press conference with journalists across the nation, HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus said this is an "all-hands-on-deck moment" for the industry.

"Our response is we’re not kicking the can down the road," Lazarus said "Racetracks and horsemen and breeders and consigners all have to get behind real change. "

Equine surface specialist Dennis Moore, who walked the track shortly after Churchill Downs shut down racing for the first time in history, reviewed the track.

The report found that there was "not a clear pattern in medical histories or injury profiles across the fatalities that point to a single, causal explanation for the fatalities."

It also pointed to no medication violations.

Alina Vale, the official veterinarian for the California Horse Racing Board, was also part of the report. She provided case reviews based on information provided by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC), Churchill Downs and HISA.

Vale reviewed the necropsy reports and KHRC's mortality reviews, as well as pre-race inspection records, race charts, workout history, past performances and veterinary medical records for all 12 horses: Wild on Ice, Parents Pride, Code of Kings, Take Charge Briana, Chasing Artie, Chloe's Dream, Freezing Point, Bosque Redondo, Rio Moon, Swanson Lake, Lost in Limbo and Kimberley Dream.

"Analysis of training histories did indicate an increased risk profile for some of the horses due to the frequency and cadence of their exercise and racing schedules," the report said.

“It is encouraging that we now have a professional body, HISA, that can do a post-mortem analysis of clusters of horse deaths at thoroughbred tracks,” said Wayne Pacelle, the president of Animal Wellness Action, an animal rights group. “We’ve never had this kind of professional resource in racing, and it’s a new day and a very good thing.”

While the deaths at the Downs drew national attention, the report's recommendations also focus on a rash of deaths that occurred at Maryland's Laurel Park and Saratoga Race Course in New York. Horseracing Wrongs, a website that tracks the deaths of thoroughbred racehorses, lists 14 deaths at Laurel Park and 16 deaths at Saratoga this year.

"The industry has recognized unless we work together to generally make changes that the industry is in jeopardy," Lazarus said. "I think you see a real commitment among stakeholders and if ever now is the time to put everything we have to put everything together to minimize the risks."

HISA's strategic response plan to the tracks include:

  • A robust data analysis effort in which HISA will work with top data analytics companies to explore critical questions facing the sport. The group says the application of sophisticated data analysis, made possible by uniform reporting requirements under HISA, will yield new, actionable insights into factors contributing to equine fatalities.

  • The creation of a Blue-Ribbon Committee to work toward the study and ultimate introduction of more synthetic surface options in thoroughbred racing.

  • Improved veterinary screening and diagnostic procedures, including:

    • Making PET scans more accessible to racetracks across the country;

    • Conducting a research study to examine the causes of exercise-associated sudden deaths;

    • Using wearable technology as an injury detection tool;

    • Examining whether there are any other equine fitness tools worthy of investment and deployment.

Reach Stephanie Kuzydym at skuzydym@courier-journal.com. Follow her for updates on Twitter at@stephkuzy.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Federal horse racing group issues findings on Churchill Downs deaths