Feds explain recommendation that Churchill Downs halt racing

The federal Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority issued a news release Friday saying that it had recommended Churchill Downs suspend racing as a joint investigation into the deaths of 12 horses that sustained injuries while training or racing at the Louisville track continues.

The authority said that Churchill Downs officials "agreed with and accepted this recommendation," prompting Friday's announcement that racing would be shifted to the CDI-owned Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky., beginning on Wednesday.

Here is the full news release from HISA:

"The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has recommended to Churchill Downs Inc. that racing at Churchill Downs racetrack be temporarily suspended to allow for additional comprehensive investigations into the cause of recent equine fatalities at the track; CDI has agreed with and accepted this recommendation.

"The investigations conducted by HISA, CDI and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to date have not revealed any obvious or specific pattern connecting the recent deaths of 12 Thoroughbreds at Churchill Downs. Given that no cohesive explanation has been identified for this unusually high number of fatalities, HISA has recommended that racing be temporarily suspended to allow time to more clearly identify the factor(s) contributing to these fatalities as well as tangible interventions to prevent them in the future.

“HISA’s highest priority is the safety and wellbeing of equine and human athletes competing under our jurisdiction,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “Given that we have been so far unable to draw conclusions about the cause of the recent equine fatalities at Churchill Downs, and therefore have been unable to recommend or require interventions that we felt would adequately ensure the safety of the horses running there, we made the decision to recommend to CDI that they temporarily suspend racing at Churchill Downs while additional reviews continue. We know that CDI and the KHRC share our goal of ensuring safety above all else, and we appreciate their thoughtfulness and cooperation through these challenging moments. We will continue to seek answers and work with everyone involved to ensure that horses are running safely at Churchill Downs again in the near future.”

"Track surface expert Dennis Moore completed his HISA-commissioned review of the Churchill Downs racetrack and reported his findings to HISA earlier (Friday). After conducting his own 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.

"The following metrics were examined as part of his review.

"Cushioning: The consistency of the track was measured at every 1/8th Pole on the inside and outside racing lanes by RSTL using the Orono Biomechanical Surface Tester (OBST). The findings found the track was consistent at the various measurement points around the track and compared to previous pre-race meet inspections performed by RSTL.

"Cushion Layer: Data that was collected by RSTL’s ground penetrating radar (GPR), which measures up to depths of one and half feet deep, similarly did not identify any anomalies or causes for concern.

"Daily Measurements: Moore verified Churchill Downs’ daily measurements and RSTL’s pre-meet inspection, which included a time-domain reflectometer moisture reading instrument to measure the moisture and manual probing for cushion depth. He reported that the track was within the expected measurement ranges around the track and as compared to previous years.

"Surface Grade: Moore and RSTL performed surface grade measurements together to verify the percent crossfall of surface was similar to the pre-meet inspection performed by RSTL.

"Composition: The dirt’s surface samples collected at multiple locations around the track were sent to RSTL’s laboratory in Lexington, Ky., and returned consistent with previous years."