Keeneland’s 2023 Spring Meet ends with most horse deaths at the Lexington track since 2019

The 2023 Keeneland Spring Meet ended Friday evening, bringing a close to an especially deadly stretch of racing at the Lexington horse track.

The 15-day Spring Meet, held from April 7-28, saw three horses die as the result of racing incidents at Keeneland.

According to the Equine Injury Database — a national database of horse racing injuries that was started by The Jockey Club in July 2008 — this year’s Keeneland Spring Meet has already accounted for the most horse deaths in one year at the track since 2019.

On April 13, Goin to the Show became the first horse to suffer a catastrophic injury during the Spring Meet after the horse sustained a bilateral sesamoid fracture of the right front fetlock during a 6 1/2-furlong race on Keeneland’s dirt track.

On April 19, Master of the Ring clipped heels with another horse during a race on the turf course and suffered a sublaxated right carpus.

Most recently on Wednesday, Wolfe County was pulled up by its jockey shortly after the start of a 1 1/16-mile race on the dirt course. An injury to Wolfe County’s left front leg was deemed to be catastrophic.

“Keeneland is committed to the safety and welfare of all involved in this sport we love so much. Toward that goal, Keeneland has instituted some of the strongest safety and integrity protocols in North America,” read a statement provided by Keeneland officials to the Herald-Leader.

“Our equine medical teams and racing surface experts work tirelessly on a daily basis to ensure every measure is taken to provide our participants the safest racing environment possible. Doing what is in the best interest of the horse is at the core of everything we do at Keeneland, and that remains our No. 1 priority at all times.”

On the Keeneland website, daily updates are provided regarding the number of horses that work out and start races at the track, as well as the “equine safety responses” that occur as the result of racing incidents.

In both 2020 and 2022, one horse died from racing incidents at Keeneland. In 2021, two horses died as the result of racing incidents at the track.

In 2019, nine horses died following racing incidents at Keeneland. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, five horses died each year due to racing incidents at the track.

Since The Jockey Club began the Equine Injury Database, the highest number of horse deaths per 1,000 starters at Keeneland is 3.21, which was recorded in 2019.

That figure dropped to a record-tying low of 0.33 horse deaths per 1,000 starters in 2022, a year in which Keeneland hosted both its annual spring and fall meets, as well as the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

After three horse deaths due to racing incidents during this year’s Spring Meet, Keeneland is averaging 1.91 horse deaths per 1,000 starters for 2023, which would be its second-highest mark in the Equine Injury Database era (since 2009), with the Fall Meet still to come.

Keeneland’s Fall Meet is scheduled to take place Oct. 6-28.

Gaffalione takes jockey title, Ward wins training crown

The 15th and final day of the Keeneland Spring Meet took place Friday, as a packed Keeneland crowd saw an overcast afternoon morph into early evening blue skies.

The racing surface benefited from the turnaround in weather as well, with Keeneland’s dirt surface transitioning from “muddy” to “good” and only one race having to be moved from the turf surface to the dirt surface.

Tyler Gaffalione won the jockey title for the 2023 Spring Meet with 21 victories.

This was his second consecutive Spring Meet riding title and fifth overall.

Gaffalione was fortunate to have not sustained a serious injury during the Spring Meet: He was aboard Master of the Ring when the horse suffered an ultimately fatal injury. Gaffalione was medically cleared despite being thrown from the horse, and returned to the saddle in the very next race on April 19.

The training title went to Wesley Ward, who posted 12 wins during the Spring Meet.

This marks Ward’s sixth consecutive Spring Meet training title and ninth total.

Trainer Todd Pletcher — who is set to have three of the favorites running in next Saturday’s Kentucky Derby with Forte, Blue Grass Stakes winner Tapit Trice and Louisiana Derby winner Kingsbarns — was at Keeneland on Friday and saw one of his horses, We the People, win an allowance optional claiming race.

Similarly, the owner title for the Spring 2023 meet also came down to the final day of racing.

Godolphin and Stonestreet Stables were tied with five wins each entering Friday, but a victory by Loyal Company in the seventh race on Friday’s 10-race card moved Godolphin into the lead with six wins.

This is Godolphin’s third leading owner title.

Friday’s featured race to close the Spring Meet — the Grade 3 Bewitch Stakes on the turf course — was won by War Like Goddess for the third consecutive time.

War Like Goddess is the third horse to win a Keeneland stakes race three years in a row, and the first horse to achieve that feat since 1974.

War Like Goddess is trained by Bill Mott, who will also have a horse in the Kentucky Derby with Rocket Can.

The 2023 Spring Meet generated a record all-sources wagering handle of $224,348,745, which surpassed the previous record of $219,284,979 set during last year’s Spring Meet.

This marks the fifth consecutive season of record wagering at Keeneland.