Churchill Downs announced Friday it will move the remainder of its spring meet to Ellis Park following the death of 12 horses at the home of the Kentucky Derby over the last five weeks.
The drastic move comes one day after Churchill Downs, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority announced new safety measures at the historic venue following a closed-door veterinary summit.
Racing will officially be suspended on June 7 at Churchill Downs and resume June 10 at Ellis Park. The spring meet is scheduled to run through July 3.
“What has happened at our track is deeply upsetting and absolutely unacceptable. Despite our best efforts to identify a cause for the recent horse injuries, and though no issues have been linked to our racing surfaces or environment at Churchill Downs, we need to take more time to conduct a top-to-bottom review of all of the details and circumstances so that we can further strengthen our surface, safety and integrity protocols.”
Statement from Churchill Downs Incorporated
— Churchill Downs (@ChurchillDowns) June 2, 2023
The Louisville Courier Journal spoke with an anonymous horse owner who expressed confusion over the series of events.
“It seems odd that they would implement new safety precautions and announce those to the horseman but the next day there is talk of moving to Ellis Park a month early.”
Among the changes announced on Thursday for Churchill Downs:
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A pause of track-based incentives such as trainer start bonuses and purse pay-out allocations to every race finisher through last place. Purse pay-outs will now be limited to the top five finishers. Churchill Downs is engaged in ongoing discussions with horsemen to determine ways to reallocate these funds to best serve industry needs;
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Restricting the number of starts per horse to four starts during a rolling eight-week period;
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Ineligibility standards for poor performance. Horses that are beaten by more than 12 lengths in five consecutive starts will be ineligible to race at Churchill Downs until approved by the Equine Medical Director to return.
Ellis Park, which was acquired by Churchill Downs for $79 million last September, is located 134 miles west of Louisville in Henderson, Kentucky along the Indiana border. The park opened in 1922 and features a 1.125-mile dirt track.
The new safety rules announced for Churchill Downs will remain in effect for Ellis Park for the remainder of the spring meet.
