Churchill Downs to install PET scan machine for veterinarians to monitor horses

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Churchill Downs is preparing to install a medical device that could alert veterinarians about horses' injuries before it happens.

A positron emission tomography (PET) scan machine works in about five minutes. It can help veterinarians find any problems with a racehorse's legs to prevent injuries.

Churchill Downs said horses can stand while being scanned and they don't need anesthesia.

The track will make the scanner available to use in its Equine Medical area in March.

Churchill Downs will be the only racetrack outside of California to have one on-site.

"We have a large population of veterinarians on our backside. The resources they have are limited to what they can carry in their truck," said William Farmer, equine medical director for Churchill Downs. "It'll put a tool in our veterinarians' and trainers' hands that will make our horses safer."

The first PET scanner at a racetrack was installed at Santa Anita Park in California in 2019.