Months After “A Series of Unfortunate Circumstances” at Churchill Downs, CEO Comes Clean on “The Early Portion” of the Meet

The past few months have been forgettable for the equestrian community because of the numerous fatalities that have been reported. Popular racing tracks like Churchill Downs were also not untouched when it came to horse deaths. This famous Kentucky Derby race course has been in the news for the last few months for all the wrong reasons because there have been more than 12 horse deaths reported there. Necropsy reports on these horses were also released by the racecourse a few days ago. They have also announced a renovation of the place to focus on the safety measures of this Louisville-based racetracks.

Now the CEO of Churchill Downs has come out in the media to address these incidents. He talked about the investigation that is going on behind the horse deaths and what led to these tragic occurrences.

What the CEO has to say

Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs, had an interview with the Paulick Report where he talked about the internal investigation into the deaths of 12 thoroughbred horses. According to him, nothing as such was found during the investigation of the surface of the track and its safety norms. He said it was a series of unfortunate circumstances that happened during the early portion of the meet. In his statement regarding the investigation, Carstanjen stated, “This was a series of unfortunate circumstances that happened during the early portion of our meet.” He further added, “We didn’t find anything fundamentally wrong or different about our track from previous years.”

Further talking about the investigation, he added that there can be something good that comes out of it. They will be doing things better and a bit more carefully and learning from the incidents that happened in the past. Last month, equestrian races on this track were also suspended by CDI on the recommendation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA).

Future of this equestrian track

On June 2nd, HISA recommended that the races at Churchill Downs be temporarily suspended so as to gain more clarity in the ongoing investigation of the horses. The races were suspended on June 7th and have been moved to Ellis Park in Henderson. According to a report by Dr. Nick Smith, the chief veterinarian of KHRC, the track has witnessed 11 equine deaths in 1855 starts, excluding the death of Wild On Ice.

Read More: After the Recent String of Incidents, Churchill Downs Announces $14,000,000 Worth Renovations Ahead of Prestigious Equestrian Event

According to the 2022 Equine Injury Database, the average fatality rate is 5.93 per 1000 starts, which is much higher than the national average of 1.25 per 1000 starts. Hence, continuous improvements and stringent safety protocols are crucial to preventing future tragedies in the sport, don’t you agree?

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