LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Another day and another equine fatality at Churchill Downs has the track vowing to examine every aspect of its racing operation in a search for ways to avoid injuries to horses.
In Saturday’s first race, Kimberley Dream, a 7-year old mare making her 62nd career start, suffered what the track described as a distal sesamodean ligament rupture to her left front leg, and was euthanized.
“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,” the track said in a statement. “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 has been engaged in a comprehensive review process in recent weeks, working in cooperation with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. Churchill said that results from tests conducted by Dr. Mick Peterson, Executive Director of Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory and Professor of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at the University of Kentucky, “do not raise any concerns and that none of the data is inconsistent with prior measurements from Churchill Downs or other tracks.”
“We are troubled by this recent string of fatalities,” the statement said. “It is extremely inconsistent with the outcomes we have experienced over the years, with the reputation we have developed over the decades and with the expectations we set for ourselves and owe our fans. We are committed to doing this important work and updating the public with our developments.”
These horses have died since just before the start of the spring meet:
- 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"
Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
