Churchill Downs, HISA announce new safety measures

Churchill Downs and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) announced new safety measures Thursday after a dozen horses died in five weeks at the most famed track in horse racing.

The announcement came following multiple emergency meetings involving industry members on how to increase the safety of the horses that started with a closed-door summit Tuesday between the state and track's regulatory veterinarians and the HISA veterinarians; continued Wednesday with a track surface expert walking the dirt in Louisville; and Thursday with a last-minute meeting called by Churchill Downs.

HISA, a new federal agency tasked with increasing safety in horse racing, said Tuesday it hoped to share recommendations regarding Churchill Downs before racing resumed Thursday.

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The report was emailed at 5:09 p.m., shortly after racing resumed. In it, HISA released measures it was taking following that Tuesday summit.

Those measures include:

• Additional layer of post-entry screening by HISA's director of equine safety and welfare to evaluate the horse's ability to race, effective with Saturday's entries

• Collection of blood and hair samples for all fatalities involving covered horses by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU)

• Additional review of all necropsies performed on covered horses by Dr. Alina Vale, a HISA-appointed equine forensic specialist

HISA also announced that Dennis Moore's analysis of the racing surface at the track is ongoing and will be shared once it is complete, though no timeframe was included.

The changes announced by Churchill Downs all focus on trainers and horses, but none target the track's surface − which has been a cause of concern for nearly a dozen owners, trainers and veterinarians the Courier Journal has spoken with.

Changes being implemented by Churchill Downs as announced in Thursday's press release:

• Effective immediately, horses will be restricted to four starts during a rolling eight-week period.

• Horses will have ineligibility standards for poor performance: if a horse is beaten by more than 12 lengths in five consecutive starts, it will be ineligible to race at Churchill Downs until approved to resume by the Equine Medical Director.

• Pause of track-based incentives including trainer start bonuses and pay-out allocations to every race finisher. Only the top five finishes will receive payouts. Churchill Downs is talking with horsemen about what will happen to the funds previously given to lower-placed finishers.

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The Courier Journal requested an interview with Will Farmer, Churchill Downs' equine medical director, prior to the track's press release, but hadn't received a response at the time of publishing.

Farmer was quoted in the statement sent by the track saying: "The attending veterinarians and trainers at Churchill Downs are incredibly capable and knowledgable. We feel a duty to provide the latest information on surgical interventions from an expert who experienced the challenges in California a few years ago that we currently face today.

"Any decision must be made first and foremost with the long-term well-being of the horse in mind. It is imperative that all available, educated and informed options can be efficiently, confidently and thoroughly relayed to the owners."

The announcements come following a last-minute meeting called by Churchill Downs for Thursday morning, hours before Spring Meet racing resumed. Horsemen who stable on the grounds or trackside received a notification late Wednesday evening about the 11 a.m. meeting at the rec hall on the backside of the track.

"It was packed," said one member who attended the meeting. "I don't know how many, but there was no room for anybody else. It's the first time I've ever seen that meeting hall anywhere close to that packed."

The meeting was only open to trainers and veterinarians but also included race track management, personnel and maintenance, as well as commission and state vets.

Dr. Ryan Carpenter, a longtime equine surgeon in Southern California, was one of the speakers. He spoke to his experience with what happened with the cluster of horse deaths at Santa Anita in 2019.

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"The vast majority of everyone that runs in the state of Kentucky was represented," the member who asked to not be identified as it was a closed meeting. "Everyone was respectful but emotional. They were very tuned in and you could tell they all gave a s---."

Trainers who attended the meeting and spoke to the Courier Journal on the condition of anonymity, since it was not a public meeting, said the track provided updates on where they stand with their studies of the track. The meeting, one said, felt more like a town hall, where the trainers and vets were able to ask questions.

While two of the announcements from Churchill were focused on the horses, the pause on track-based incentives, such as a trainer start bonus, is focused more on the horsemen.

The incentive, which began in the past few years, ensured a trainer that finished in fourth through last place made $300, as a way of helping out smaller trainers that don't have last names in the likes of Cox, Pletcher, Asmussen or Baffert.

"Kentucky Thoroughbred Association equally supports the Churchill Downs' Safety Initiatives and HISA measures 100 percent," said Chauncey Morris, executive director of the association. "Today’s meeting is suggestive that everyone is working collectively to ensure the health and safety of horse and rider, and HISA adds another medical layer, to compliment and accomplish this.“

Rick Hiles is president of the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and spoke following Churchill's meeting with the trainers and vets.

"Horsemen wholeheartedly support efforts to improve safety for our horses. We also recognize that many factors play a role in these fatalities. Among these factors is the inability to use therapeutic medications, which has only served to limit horsemen’s ability to improve the health and soundness of our horses," he said.

"We will continue to work proactively to find solutions that protect our horses, improve racetrack safety and serve the betterment of horse racing."

Reach Stephanie Kuzydym at skuzydym@courier-journal.com. Follow her for updates on Twitter at @stephkuzy.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Churchill Downs and HISA recommendations on safety measures