Organization Investigating Horse Deaths Recommends Suspending All Races At Churchill Downs, Track Obliges

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, or HISA, is recommending that Churchill Downs suspend all races until further notice.

Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) owns the track and has decided to follow this recommendation, according to an HISA press release.

In a press release, the HISA said that it gave this recommendation to CDI. They said this was so they could continue to investigate conditions at the track. The initial investigation was a joint one between HISA, CDI, and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

"The investigations conducted by HISA, CDI and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) to date have not revealed any obvious or specific pattern connecting the recent deaths of 12 Thoroughbreds at Churchill Downs," the HISA statement reads.

Horses compete in the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

With No Clear Cause, The Investigation At Churchill Downs Will Continue

Track surface expert Dennis Moore took a look at the racing surface. He examined several aspects of the track. This included its cushioning, cushion layer, composition, and more. He also looked at measurements taken before the Kentucky Derby.

However, he was unable to find anything in particular that could be a cause for concern.

“HISA’s highest priority is the safety and wellbeing of equine and human athletes competing under our jurisdiction,” HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus said in a statement. “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."

The track has been under a microscope after the twelve deaths at the track in recent weeks. Seven of these occurred in the lead-up to the track's marquee event, the Kentucky Derby.

According to the organization's website, the HISA was founded to "implement, for the first time, a national, uniform set of integrity and safety rules that are applied consistently to every Thoroughbred racing participant and racetrack facility."

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