HISA Report Casts No Blame on Churchill Downs Surface for Horse Deaths

A string of horse deaths at Churchill Downs this spring caused the historic racetrack to do the unprecedented: cancel the spring meet. Racing was suspended and moved to Ellis Park amid backlash from the general public.

The newly formed Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) conducted a thorough investigation of the surface of the racetrack. In a 197-page report from the federal committee did not find “any singular explanation” for the fatalities.

“Despite extensive investigation and analysis, HISA did not identify any singular explanation for the fatalities at Churchill Downs,” the report said. “The absence of a singular explanation underscores the urgent need for further action and analysis to mitigate risk stemming from several factors potentially contributing to equine fatalities.”

A dozen horses died during the Churchill Downs spring meet. Four were in the lead-up to the Kentucky Derby, including a Derby entry, Wild On Ice, who died after suffering an injury in training.

Since Churchill Downs moved its operations to Ellis Park, fatalities have hit other racetracks hard. There were 14 fatalities at Laurel Park and 16 at Saratoga. The most jaw-dropping occurred in the $500,000 Test Stakes when a nationally-televised audience on Fox watched Maple Lead Mel suffer a catastrophic injury just before reaching the finish line. A month later two horses died in the lead up to the Travers Stakes, the biggest race day of the summer in New York.

Safety Recommendations from HISA

• A robust data analysis effort in which HISA will work with top data analytics companies to explore critical questions facing the sport. The application of sophisticated data analysis, made possible by uniform reporting requirements under HISA, will yield new, actionable insights into factors contributing to equine fatalities.
• The creation of a Blue-Ribbon Committee to work toward the study and ultimate introduction of more synthetic surface options in Thoroughbred racing.
• Improved veterinary screening and diagnostic procedures including:
  • Making PET scans more accessible to racetracks across the country
  • Conducting a research study to examine the causes of exercise-associated sudden deaths
  • Further use of wearable technology as an injury detection tool
  • An examination of whether there are any other equine fitness tools worthy of investment and deployment

Churchill Downs Move was always about PR

Today’s findings were timely, just two days before racing returns beneath the Twin Spires, but did not come as a surprise. Despite the move to Ellis Park, horsemen were allowed to continue training their horses on the track at Churchill Downs because there was no obvious evidence that anything was wrong with the surface.

The move to Ellis Park only happened after PETA drove a truck around Churchill Downs property displaying video of a horse being euthanized on the track. They had no plans to stop harassing patrons unless the races stopped for some time. The move by Churchill Downs was to simply buy time and appear proactive.

One thing not mentioned in the HISA report is the soundness of the horses. For hundreds of years these animals have been bred to run fast. The fragile animals have not been bred for stability. The fatalities are an ugly side to the sport that will not go away overnight.

HISA’s efforts to collect mountains of data for analysis is commendable. This may eventually lead to long term changes that benefit not only the health of the horses, but the perception of the sport. However, it’s clear there’s no quick fix to eliminate fatalities from horse racing.