First 'mortality reviews' shed little light on recent Churchill Downs horse deaths

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – The first mortality reviews of 12 horses that have died in recent weeks at Churchill Downs have returned with no evidence of improper medications or other health issues that could be directly linked to their deaths.

The reviews are for just two of the dozen equine fatalities at Churchill since April 27, and are posted publicly by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

Parents Pride, a 4-year-old filly owned by Kenneth Ramsey and trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. collapsed and died after a claiming race at Churchill Downs on April 29. She was the first of two Joseph-trained entries to die of mysterious causes, without evident musculoskeletal injuries.

After the second death, Joseph was suspended from training at Churchill Downs and one of his trainees, Lord Miles, was scratched from the Kentucky Derby by veterinarians.

But a necropsy and subsequent investigation into the death of Parents Pride sheds little light on the reason for her death.

The filly went down with severe weakness in her hind limbs just past the 3/16 pole during a 5 ½-furlong race on Churchill’s turf course. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione quickly dismounted as the filly basically fell into a seated position. Her breathing became labored and she died on the track.

According to a mortality review compiled by the KHRC, which includes interviews, necropsy results and other medical data on deceased horses, the lightly raced filly showed no pre-race signs of distress and had undergone only “minimal and routine” veterinary work.

No prohibited substances were found in her blood work, nor was any therapeutic medication found outside of allowable limits. Other substances in the blood were deemed within normal limits. No urine was collected, and often cannot be when horses die on the track.

The necropsy itself could not ascribe a cause of death. There was mild myocarditis, or inflammation around the heart, but not enough in the pathologist’s view to cause death.

From the report: “Mild to moderate changes were noted in the heart, brain and lung, but these were not thought to be significant enough to be the cause of the sudden death. The pathologist points out that many sudden deaths are 'autopsy-negative.'"

Joseph, who criticized Churchill Downs for suspending him and said the track was making him “a scapegoat,” was not quoted in the mortality review.

A second filly, Take Charge Briana, suffered an injury near the 3/16 pole during a turf race at Churchill three days later.

She fell when racing between horses, threw rider Luis Saez, and her front left ankle (to put it in human terms) essentially came apart. She suffered fractures to the canon and sesamoid bones in her left foreleg, as well. She was sedated and euthanized on the track.

No drug abnormalities were found. Her trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, told the KHRC that the 3-year-old filly was “royally bred” and had no medical issues. He speculated that the fall was “caused by the horse’s back end slipping out from under her when she changed leads.” Jockey Luis Saez said he felt the turf course was in good condition, and that the filly had warmed up normally and was running well, just behind the leaders, when she went down. He also said that the injury happened when she switched leads.

From the necropsy report: “The right, front fetlock was open and disarticulated. There was a lateral condylar fracture, and apical fracture of the medial sesamoid, and an avulsion fracture of the lateral sesamoid.” The necropsy also reported mild hepatitis and some stomach ulceration, a common finding in thoroughbred post-death exams.

The filly had been eased in a race on Nov. 26, 2022, and was placed on the vet’s list. But she had completed five races at Oaklawn Park before returning to Churchill this year. No gait or other abnormalities had been found during that time, nor were any observed before the race in which she died.

More mortality reviews are expected as they are completed. A recent emergency summit convened by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority gathered vets from HISA, the KHRC and Churchill Downs to go over available data from the 12 deaths in a search for causes, but the meeting concluded with no major commonalities observed.

Lisa Lazarus, CEO of HISA, acknowledged that the data available for the summit were incomplete, and said that the organization would continue to search for answers.

In the meantime, racing for Churchill Downs has shut down for the summer and moved to Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky.

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