The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has called an emergency meeting to find out why 12 racehorses have died this month at Churchill Downs.
After 12 horses had to be put down during the Kentucky Derby, the HISA is now looking into initiating an independent analysis of the training facilities and other areas at the facility, according to the New York Post.
Kingsbarns is washed during the morning training for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on April 29, 2023, in Louisville, Kentucky. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
This year’s Kentucky Derby started under a cloud when seven horses had to be euthanized ahead of the race.
Kimberley Dream, the 12th horse, was put down this week after suffering an inoperable ligament rupture to one of her front legs.
The death rate climbed from April 27 to May 6, when the first seven horses were euthanized. But five more died since then.
In a statement released on Saturday, Churchill Downs expressed its sadness over the deaths. However, it also offered assurance its leadership was trying to find the cause, saying, “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.”
A general view of Churchill Downs ahead of the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 06, 2023, in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
“We have been rigorously working … to understand what has led to this spike and have yet to find a conclusive [discernible] pattern as we await the findings of ongoing investigations into these injuries and fatalities,” the statement added.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) senior vice president Kathy Guillermo called Churchill Downs “a killing field in a statement released on May 6.
Mage won the 149th Kentucky Derby, while National Treasure won the 2023 Preakness Stakes.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston, or Truth Social @WarnerToddHuston