Another horse sustains fatal injury at Churchill Downs. It’s the eighth death in recent weeks

A horse died at Churchill Downs in Louisville on Sunday, marking the latest in a string of recent deaths at the track.

Rio Moon was euthanized after he injured his left front leg at the finish of the sixth race, according to Darren Rogers, senior director with media services at Churchill Downs.

Prior to the death of Rio Moon, seven horses died within a 10-day span at the track leading up to the Kentucky Derby. Two of those horses died on Derby Day after they were vanned away from the track with injuries sustained during undercard races.

One was Chloe’s Dream, who was euthanized after injuring a knee during the second race. Freezing Point was put down after injuring an ankle in the eighth race. Another horse, Here Mi Song, departed in an equine ambulance after the 10th race but X-rays reportedly came back negative.

This story was originally published May 14, 2023 at 5:53 PM.

Taylor Six

Lexington Herald-Leader

Taylor Six is the criminal justice reporter at the Herald-Leader. She was born and raised in Lexington attending Lafayette High School. She graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 2018 with a degree in journalism. She previously worked as the government reporter for the Richmond Register.