Churchill Downs to Cease Racing as It Investigates Deaths of Horses
Horse racing will be suspended at Churchill Downs and moved to a different Kentucky racetrack as federal and state regulators continue to investigate the deaths of 12 horses at Churchill in the past five weeks, the company said in a statement on Friday.
Live horse racing will continue at the home of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday and Sunday and move next week to another Churchill Downs-owned racetrack, Ellis Park, in Henderson, Ky. The Churchill meet was to have ended on July 3 before moving on to Ellis Park for the traditional summer race meet scheduled from July 7 to Aug. 27.
Experts brought in by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority to examine the spate of horse deaths — two of which occurred on the undercard of the Kentucky Derby on May 6 — thus far have been unable to detect a pattern in the deaths.
Diagnostics of the racetrack have not raised concerns and dirt and grass surfaces appear consistent with measurements from Churchill Downs in past years. Still, the company said it was relocating the meet even though it said “no issues have been linked to our racing surfaces.”
Source: The New York Times
