LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The national Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority said Monday it will launch an independent inspection of the racing surface at Churchill Downs and will hold an emergency veterinary summit on Tuesday to discuss the deaths of 12 racehorses since late April.

The summit will include veterinary teams from Churchill Downs, HISA and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and will, according to a statement released by HISA on Monday morning, "thoroughly review all veterinary information available and conduct additional analysis in hopes of better understanding the events surrounding the recent fatalities."

HISA said it will also send sent a veteran track superintendent, Dennis Moore, to provide a second look at the track and return an independent analysis. Churchill Downs regularly has had the track inspected by specialists from the University of Kentucky. Moore has more than 50 years experience in the business and has been superintendent at Santa Anita Park, Del Mar and elsewhere.

"We remain deeply concerned by the unusually high number of equine fatalities at Churchill Downs over the last several weeks," HISA said in a news release Monday. "We continue to seek answers, and we are working diligently with Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) to mitigate any additional risk."

The measures mark the first high-visibility crisis for horse racing’s new national governing authority, which was passed by congress and signed into law in 2020. It went into effect fully last June, then was suspended for a time this year after a ruling by Texas judge in response to questions about its medication guidelines. Those went back into effect on May 22 of this year.

In addition to the measures at Churchill Downs announced Monday, HISA leadership, CEO Lisa Lazarus and racetrack safety director Ann McGovern will travel to Louisville this week, while HISA director of equine safety and welfare, Dr. Jennifer Durenberger, will be on-site at Churchill as a resource to track veterinarians.

"HISA continues to monitor this situation and will evaluate any additional next steps as appropriate," the statement said.

The move comes two days after another equine death at Churchill. The track at that point put out a statement saying, "Our team members mourn the loss of these animals as we continue to work together to discover cause and determine appropriate investments to minimize, to the degree possible, any avoidable risk in this sport and on our property. We do not accept this as suitable or tolerable and share the frustrations of the public, and in some cases, the questions to which we do not yet have answers. We have been rigorously working since the opening of the meet to understand what has led to this spike and have yet to find a conclusive discernable pattern as we await the findings of ongoing investigations into those injuries and fatalities."

The track said it would cooperate with state and national authorities in their investigations.

The KHRC had already been conducting a catastrophic injury review of fatalities at Churchill, investigating circumstances and potential contributing factors. Included in that have been interviews with the owners, trainers and others involved with the horses, as well as a review of records and video reviews both from the track and, where available, the barns. It also will receive reports from mandatory necropsies.

Thus far, no mortality reports have been posted on the KHRC’s website.

In addition to the KHRC investigation, HISA has been awaiting necropsy reports, reviewing records, examining Churchill Downs’ equine fatality rates and related data, and interviewing regulators, veterinarians and track management.

The organization says it will share its findings with the public at the conclusion of the process.

Below is a full list of the deaths:

  • April 27, Wild on Ice, "injured, euthanized"
  • April 29, Code of Kings, "flipped multiple times (in paddock), broke neck"
  • April 29, Parents Pride, "collapsed and died"
  • May 2, Take Charge Briana, "fell; euthanized"
  • May 2, Chasing Artie, "collapsed and died"
  • May 6, Chloe’s Dream, "went wrong; fractured knee"
  • May 6, Freezing Point, "went wrong; multiple fractures"
  • May 13, Bosque Redondo, "injured, vanned off, euthanized"
  • May 14, Rio Moon, "leg fracture; euthanized on track"
  • May 20, Swanson Lake, "injured, vanned off, euthanized"
  • May 26, Lost in Limbo, "injured, vanned off, euthanized"
  • May 27, Kimberley Dream, "ligament rupture to front leg, euthanized"

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