Mortality reports on 3 horses that died at Churchill Downs find no abnormalities prior to racing
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has released mortality reports for three of the horses that died during Churchill Downs' Spring Meet.
These mortality reports come the day after Churchill Downs shut down, with the remaining Spring Meet races moved to Ellis Park in light of the 12 horse deaths.
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The two reports were for the horses Parents Pride, Take Charge Briana, and Freezing Point, who died on April 29, May 2, and May 6, respectively.
According to the report for Parents Pride, who was trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., the horse collapsed near the 3/16th pole. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione dismounted the horse, and that is when vets said the filly fell to its side, became "agonal" and died.
The report said that pre-race exams found the horse was consistent with horses at that stage of their careers and that Parents Pride had been lightly raced. She was ultimately deemed sound following these exams.
Parents Pride's drug test revealed that no prohibited substances were in her bloodstream, along with no therapeutic medication above the regulatory level. The toxicology tests showed that no substances on the anticoagulant screen were present, and all other substances were within standard limits.
Doctors came to the conclusion that there were mild to moderate changes to Parents Pride's heart, brain and lungs, but were not significant enough to result in a sudden death as such.
In the report on Take Charge Briana, who was trained by D. Wayne Lukas, the filly fell at the 3/16th pole during her race and unseated her jockey, Luis Saez. The report stated that the horse had an "open disarticulated injury" to her right forefoot fetlock.
Take Charge Briana was carted off, sedated and euthanized as a result of this injury.
The report had similar findings to Parents Pride, showing that pre-race exams were consistent for horses at her stage in her career. There were also no abnormalities found with the horse during her warmup on the track before the race, according to the report.
A veterinary report for Take Charge Briana was reviewed, and it showed that minimal work had been done in the last 60 days and was mostly routine.
The drug test for Take Charge Briana showed no prohibited substances or therapeutic medications greater than regulatory levels.
The filly had previously been placed on the vets' list in November of 2022 after she was "eased in a race." However, the report said that no reason for her being eased was noted, and she was removed from the list after being examined by regulatory vets.
Both Parents Pride and Take Charge Briana raced on the turf at Churchill Downs, which was described as firm in the mortality reports.
As for Freezing Point, the colt raced on the dirt track and was pulled up at the 5 furlong pole with an injury to his left leg.
The colt was loaded onto an ambulance and had a splint applied, but once radiographs were taken, it was decided between the vet, owner, and trainer to euthanize the horse.
His pre-race exam was in-line with horses at similar stages, and no amoralities were found.
The drug test for Freezing Point showed no illegal substances or therapeutic medications above the standard threshold.
There were no signs prior to the race that would have warranted close observation of the horse, the report said.
There was a conflict between trainer, Joe Lejzerowicz, and jockey, Corey Lanerie, about the track conditions playing a factor in the injury. Lanerie said he didn't think so, and an evaluation of the surface by a consultant found no issues, stated the report.