Derby Entrant Is Scratched as Four Horse Deaths Renew Safety Concerns
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two days before horse racing’s signature event, the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Thursday scratched all of the horses trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. that were set to race at Churchill Downs, including the Derby entrant Lord Miles, after two of his horses died of unknown causes this week.
Two other horses, not trained by Joseph, also died in the past week after sustaining leg injuries, including a colt who was scheduled to run in the Derby on Saturday, prompting an investigation by the commission into the causes of all the deaths.
The racing commission and its stewards cited “the betterment of racing, the health and welfare of our equine athletes and the safety of our jockeys” as the reason for the decision. Churchill Downs subsequently suspended Joseph indefinitely from racing horses at the track.
Wild on Ice, a 3-year-old who had three wins in five career starts and was in the Derby field, was euthanized after he sustained a leg injury while training on the dirt track last Thursday. Take Charge Briana was put down after an injury during a turf race on Tuesday.
Source: The New York Times
