After several horse deaths last spring, Keeneland begins Fall Meet. Where things stand.

Keeneland’s 17-day Fall Meet begins Friday afternoon, just months after a rash of racing incidents occurred during the track’s Spring Meet and with equine safety in horse racing still under the spotlight.

Three horses died as the result of racing incidents during the 15-day Spring Meet, held from April 7-28 at Keeneland.

According to the Equine Injury Database — a national listing of horse racing injuries started by The Jockey Club in July 2008 — those three deaths have already accounted for the most horse deaths in one year at Keeneland since 2019.

In both 2020 and 2022, one horse died from racing incidents at Keeneland. In 2021, two horses died.

In 2019, nine horses died following racing incidents at Keeneland. And in 2016, 2017 and 2018, five horses died each year.

Keeneland is averaging 1.91 horse deaths per 1,000 starters in 2023. This would be its second-highest mark in the Equine Injury Database era (since 2009).

Daily updates are provided on the Keeneland website concerning 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.

“A culture of safety and doing what is right for the horse is the beginning and end of all we do at Keeneland,” read a statement from Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin that was provided to the Herald-Leader this week.

“Our equine safety team, led by Dr. Stuart Brown, and our racing surfaces team, led by Jim Pendergest, both globally respected experts in their field, leverage state-of-the-art technology, advanced science and extensive daily monitoring of every horse with the best veterinary care to create the safest environment possible for our equine and human athletes.”

Among the safety and integrity protocols utilized at Keeneland are 24/7 video surveillance to monitor horses, on-board sensors that analyze a horse’s stride and frequent measurements and readings of Keeneland’s dirt track and turf course to ensure a consistent racing surface.

Keeneland also uses a collaborative veterinary effort to determine if a horse is fit enough to make the starting gate, a determination that’s made after a thorough process of analyzing a horse’s medical and racing history.

Keeneland’s Fall Meet is scheduled for Oct. 6-28. The Fall Meet will feature 22 stakes races, and will award a record total of $9.05 million in purses.

Since Keeneland’s Spring Meet ended in late April, equine safety has continued to be a central issue in horse racing.

Racing incidents led to horse deaths this year at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day, Pimlico Race Course on Preakness Stakes Day and Belmont Park on Belmont Stakes Day.

Additionally, two horses died at Saratoga Race Course on Travers Stakes Day in late August.

At least 14 horses died at the New York racetrack between July 13 and Sept. 4 — including seven caused by catastrophic injuries during races — leading the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) to launch an investigation of the racing surface.

In the commonwealth, a spotlight was squarely placed on Churchill Downs in Louisville following high-profile horse deaths during Kentucky Derby week.

After 12 equine fatalities occurred at the track — including four during Derby week — Churchill Downs ceased racing on June 7 and moved the remainder of its Spring Meet to Ellis Park in Henderson.

A report issued in September by HISA failed to find a single issue that was the cause for the horse deaths that occurred during the Spring Meet at Churchill Downs.

Live racing returned to Churchill Downs on Sept. 14 and ended Oct. 1. The track is scheduled to host another meet Oct. 29-Nov. 26.

Update: Racing incidents occur four straight days during Keeneland Spring Meet