'Urgency Became Clear' to Address Churchill Fatalities

Saying "the urgency became clear" as equine fatalities grew to 12 this spring at Churchill Downs through racing May 29, Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority CEO Lisa Lazarus told reporters May 30 she expects to soon provide an update on findings related to equine safety at the Louisville, Ky., track. Veterinary officials from HISA, Churchill Downs Inc., and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission held an emergency veterinary summit May 30, which is to be followed May 31 by West Coast track superintendent Dennis Moore providing an independent analysis of the Churchill Downs surfaces. Lazarus and racetrack safety director Ann McGovern also will be on-site Wednesday to receive the results of the analysis and any follow-up. The track is next scheduled to race June 1. Already, the surfaces at Churchill Downs have been analyzed by racetrack surface component expert Dr. Mick Peterson, who Lazarus said informed her that it "was consistent with how it's always been." Peterson also performed a pre-meet check and has been to "Churchill Downs a number of times over the last month and did not identify any red flags." HISA officials said the current spike of breakdowns, as well as other elevated instances at other tracks that have occurred over the years, such as at Santa Anita Park in early 2019, are multifactorial in nature and that "everything is on the table" with regard to finding solutions to the ongoing crisis. The track and KHRC, for example, do not currently use a designated review panel to flag at-risk horses for follow-up evaluation or scratching—a practice instituted at Santa Anita in 2019 after its spike. But she said the 12 deceased horses are being examined, or will be examined, in necropsies and with regard to their racing and veterinary history. Initial indications are "no real discernible pattern amongst the fatalities," she said. The fatalities have occurred on the dirt track and turf course, in racing and during training. One accident occurred in the paddock. At least three of the equine fatalities are not breakdowns—the paddock accident and two sudden deaths during or shortly after races on the turf course. HISA does not have the authority to require Churchill Downs to suspend racing, though it could block the track from out-of-state domestic simulcasting, responsible for the bulk of its wagering handle, if it views Churchill Downs as being out of safety compliance and the two were at odds over the issue to close. But she said Churchill Downs officials "are really committed to doing the right thing. So my strong view is that if we were to make a recommendation to Churchill Downs to shut down racing, they would accept that recommendation." Some animal-rights groups and anti-racing organizations have called for a suspension of racing at Churchill Downs, but Lazarus said she and other officials would not make such a decision lightly, saying, "There are a lot of people who count on racing to survive for their livelihood." Asked if HISA also had the authority to ask a track to mandate a track switching from dirt to a synthetic surface, Lazarus said she believed her organization has the power to do so (by denying out-of-state simulcasting), along with other racing safety decisions. In the areas of safety, medication, and anti-doping efforts, HISA is in charge of Thoroughbred racing oversight in most states, including Kentucky. Synthetic tracks are statistically safer than both turf and dirt, though breakdowns occur on those surfaces, too. There were six musculoskeletal fatalities from racing during the winter meet at Turfway Park, a CDI-owned track that has a synthetic Tapeta surface, according to KHRC records. Five horses died during training over the track's approximately three months of racing this year, three from musculoskeletal injuries and another two from sudden death, a classification that includes fatalities from ailments such as heart attacks. The Thoroughbred breed is widely considered to be more fragile than those from earlier eras, not running as often or returning as quickly after starting. Churchill Downs officials have pledged the commitment to equine safety, releasing a statement after the 12th fatality May 27, saying, "we continue to work together to discover (the) cause and determine appropriate investments to minimize, to the degree possible, any avoidable risk in this sport and on our property. We do not accept this as suitable or tolerable and share the frustrations of the public, and in some cases, the questions to which we do not yet have answers." No mortality reviews and necropsy information related to the dozen fatalities were posted online by the KHRC as of midday Tuesday. Necropsies can take a month or more before online KHRC publication. The first fatality occurred April 27 when Kentucky Derby (G1) prospect Wild On Ice was euthanized after being injured in a morning workout. Lazarus defended Tuesday's veterinary summit not being available to the media or public, saying the ability for an open discussion could be impacted. She indicated their determinations would be disclosed. "Hopefully, we'll be able to as a team really come up with processes or different approaches to make everyone feel confident to continue racing and that this is not going to reoccur."