Racing Regulators Hold Emergency Meeting to Investigate Horse Deaths
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority gathered Kentucky state regulatory veterinarians, along with vets from Churchill Downs, on Tuesday to examine why 12 horses have been fatally injured at the historic racetrack in a matter of weeks and to decide whether to recommend pausing racing there.
Lisa Lazarus, the chief executive of the authority, called the “emergency veterinary summit” in Lexington, Ky., to review necropsies, toxicology reports and veterinarians’ and trainers’ notes on the deaths, seven of which preceded this month’s Kentucky Derby. The deaths have cast a pall over the Triple Crown season, the few weeks each spring when casual sports fans have heightened focus on horse racing.
In addition, the authority has asked a longtime California track superintendent, Dennis Moore, to examine the racing surfaces at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., and offer an independent analysis of the dirt and turf courses’ suitability for racing.
“I have not had a single jockey or trainer tell me that they believe the track is a factor in these fatalities,” Lazarus said. Most of the deaths occurred after horses broke down while racing.
Source: The New York Times
