Churchill Downs suffers 12th horse racing fatality, vows thorough investigation
Churchill Downs suffered yet another equine fatality on Saturday, the 12th since the track’s Spring Meet opened on April 29.
Kimberley Dream, a 7-year-old mare owned and trained by Freddie D. Winston, was pulled up in the day’s first race, a $68,000 claiming race for fillies and mares 4 years old and up.
After Kimberley Dream was vanned off, it was determined the mare had suffered a distal sesamoidean ligament rupture to her left front leg and was euthanized.
“There have been 12 equine fatalities at Churchill Downs since the stable area reopened for training on March 30,” Churchill Downs Incorporated said in a press release on Saturday. “It is with absolute dismay and sorrow that we report this highly unusual statistic. Our team members mourn the loss of these animals as we continue to work together to discover 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. We have been rigorously working since the opening of the meet to understand what has led to this spike and have yet to find a conclusive discernible pattern as we await the findings of ongoing investigations into those injuries and fatalities.”
Kimberley Dream, a daughter of Colonel John, was making her 61st career start, including four this year. She had won seven races lifetime with career earnings of $174,372 but had finished seventh, 10th and seventh in her three previous 2023 starts. Her last start was May 14 at Churchill Downs.
Churchill suffered its 11th equine death on Friday when Lost in Limbo broke down in the seventh race and was unable to stand. The 7-year-old gelding was later euthanized. He was making his 35th career start, with winnings of $225,996 for trainer Michael E. Lauer. Lost in Limbo’s last race was April 15 when he finished third in a starter allowance at Oaklawn Park.
“Churchill Downs needs a fleet of equine ambulances to carry the fatally wounded horses out of public view,” PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo said. “Today, Lost in Limbo became the 11th fatality since April 27 when he crashed nose-first on the track and lay heaving in the dirt. The horse should have been eliminated before the race when he threw the jockey and took flight. It’s not clear whether a veterinarian examined him after his escape.
“Churchill Downs is complicit in this carnage for not shutting down this track to implement lifesaving changes. CEO Bill Carstanjen needs to stop hoping things will get better, be a leader, and take action now. If he won’t, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission needs to do it for him.”
Churchill saw seven fatalities in the week leading up to the Kentucky Derby, including two on the day of the Derby. Trainer Saffie Joseph was indefinitely suspended by the track after two of his horses collapsed after races.
Churchill Downs says track has been tested
The high number of deaths has caused some to call for the track to close much like Santa Anita did when 42 horses died at the track in 2019. After implementing stricter guidelines and safety protocols, the track reopened. Santa Anita reported 12 horse deaths in 2022.
“In recent weeks, we have been focused on our responsibility to provide the safest racing environment possible on our property. Part of that effort has included increasing the frequency with which our surfaces are tested,” Churchill said in its release. “Earlier this week, Churchill Downs commissioned Dr. Mick Peterson, executive director of Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory and professor of biosystems and agricultural engineering at the University of Kentucky, to perform additional diagnostics on our racetrack. The report indicated that the measurements from retesting do not raise any concerns and that none of the data is inconsistent with prior measurements from Churchill Downs or other tracks.
“We simply will not allow these equine fatalities to be in vain. We are engaged in an epidemiological study with the Jockey Club to review each individual horse to determine if there are any undetected patterns that have not been previously identified. These findings can be incorporated into our daily review of entries and potentially trigger additional interventions using advanced diagnostic modalities.”
This story was originally published May 27, 2023 at 7:57 PM.
