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Churchill Downs announced Friday that, after this weekend, racing will be suspended until July 3 after an unusually high number of horse deaths at the track.
Twelve horses have died at the racetrack since April 27.
"The team at Churchill Downs takes great pride in our commitment to safety and strives to set the highest standard in racing, consistently going above and beyond the regulations and policies that are required," said Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI).
"What has happened at our track is deeply upsetting and absolutely unacceptable. Despite our best efforts to identify a cause for the recent horse injuries, and though no issues have been linked to our racing surfaces or environment at Churchill Downs, we need to take more time to conduct a top-to-bottom review of all of the details and circumstances so that we can further strengthen our surface, safety and integrity protocols."
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Churchill Downs ahead of the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby May 6, 2023, in Louisville, Ky. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Horse racing officials held an emergency summit on Tuesday to discuss the deaths at the track. Track officials also spoke with horsemen at the Trackside Training Center in Louisville Thursday in a meeting that resulted in a number of changes that will go into effect immediately. All 12 fatalities will be investigated, and there will be a probe on track conditions.
At this point, though, "no single factor has been identified as a potential cause, and no discernable pattern has been detected to link the fatalities," Churchill Downs said in a statement Friday.
"Diagnostics testing of the racetrack by experts have not raised concerns, and the experts have concluded that the surface is consistent with prior measurements from Churchill Downs in past years."
Spring meet operations, which were slated to begin at the track next week, will be moved to Ellis Park in Henderson, Kentucky, beginning Saturday, June 10, "in order to conduct a top-to-bottom review of all safety and surface protocols and integrity measures in collaboration and consultation with nationwide experts," CDI said.
Roses in the winner's circle with the Twin Spires in the background before the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby May 7, 2022, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
"In addition to our commitment to providing the safest racing environment for our participants, we have an immense responsibility as the economic engine of the thoroughbred industry in Kentucky which provides jobs and income for thousands of families every day," Carstanjen added.
"By relocating the remainder of the meet to Ellis Park, we are able to maintain this industry ecosystem with only minor disruption. We are grateful to the Kentucky horsemen for their support, resiliency and continued partnership as we collectively work to find answers during this time."
CHURCHILL DOWNS ANNOUNCES NEW SAFETY INITIATIVES IN RESPONSE TO 'UNUSUALLY HIGH' HORSE DEATHS
The most recent death at the track occurred Saturday when Kimberley Dream, running in her 61st race, was euthanized after she pulled up in the upper stretch. She was running in the first race of the day Saturday at the famous racetrack. Her death came less than 24 hours after Lost in Limbo tumbled into the dirt during the seventh race at the track Friday and was unable to get up.
The view prior to the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs May 6, 2023, in Louisville, Ky. (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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In her last five races, Kimberley Dream had lost by 19, 32½, 14½, 31 and 33 lengths, the Los Angeles Times noted.
From April 27 to the Kentucky Derby May 6, seven horses died from either injuries or collapsing on the track. Two of those horses died in the undercard of the Derby, and another, Wild on Ice, was supposed to run in the race that was won by Mage. Five have died after runs at the track since then.
More than 30 horses died in 2019 at the Santa Anita racetrack in California. The track closed down racing when the toll reached 21, and it revamped its safety protocols. Since then, horse fatalities have decreased by 55% in the state.