Louisville, CMC, Racing at Churchill Downs in the American state of Kentucky, from which Barbadian ace trainer Saffie Joseph Jr was banned last month, will be suspended after Sunday.
The authorities at the world-renowned racetrack announced on Friday the unprecedented decision that the remainder of the scheduled spring-summer meets would be run at Ellis Park, more than 100 miles away, starting next Saturday, June 10.
The decision was taken after the Churchill Downs authorities came under pressure from the deaths of 12 horses at the track on April 27, throwing the sport in the United States into disarray.
“What has happened at our track is deeply upsetting and unacceptable,” Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen said in a statement.
“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.”
The shift to Ellis Park was made after Churchill Downs authorities agreed with a recommendation from the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Association (HISA) that a complete review of safety measures be taken.
HISA called emergency veterinarian meetings earlier this week and brought in Dennis Moore, the long-time Southern California track superintendent, to inspect the Churchill Downs track.
“After conducting his inspection of the surface and reviewing data collected by Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory (RSTL) and Churchill Downs, he reported there were no primary areas for concern and has verified that the various track metrics analyzed are consistent with previous years,” a HISA statement indicated.
Still, the move to Ellis Park was made though there was widespread agreement among trainers, jockeys, and experts that everything was fine with the main track and the turf course.
Of the 12 horses that have died, seven died in races run over the main track; there was also a fatality in a turf race and another during training hours.
Churchill Downs suspended Joseph and pulled one of his horses, Lord Miles, from the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby after two horses that he trained died days before the lucrative event, the first leg of the American Triple Crown.
The 36-year-old conditioner complained in recent weeks that he was still awaiting answers about the deaths of the two horses and his ability to carry on business, and he has endured the connections of one of his prized horses, White Abarrio switching handlers.
Joseph also decided in recent weeks to keep horses from his home base in Florida to race at other tracks around the United States, including New York.
He has saddled entries at Gulfstream Park in Florida, where he has been the champion trainer for the past four race meets, and he is set to have one runner on the race card on Saturday and four on Sunday.
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