WASHINGTON – U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), co-chairs of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, today praised Churchill Downs and the Horseracing Integrity and Racing Authority (HISA) for taking steps to ensure the health and safety of thoroughbreds following the deaths of 12 horses in one month at the track.
“A dozen racehorse deaths at one track in such a short period of time is extremely concerning and entirely unacceptable,” said Buchanan and Blumenauer. “The newly announced safety precautions from Churchill Downs and HISA are long overdue. The health and safety of the horses and their riders should be the top priority. We will continue to insist HISA make its investigation public and look forward to working with industry stakeholders to conduct any necessary oversight or implement any recommended changes to prevent these deaths moving forward.”
Churchill Downs announced that it would temporarily suspend all racing operations at its track to review current safety protocols while both state and federal horseracing regulators continue to investigate the deaths. In a statement, Churchill Downs said, “no single factor has been identified as a potential cause and no discernable pattern has been detected to link the fatalities” following initial investigations by HISA and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.
In the meantime, Churchill Downs has instituted several additional safety measures, including restricting the number of starts per horse during a rolling eight-week period and enacting ineligibility standards for poor performances. HISA has also announced that it is taking several steps, including appointing an equine forensics specialist and implementing post-entry screenings.
Last month, Buchanan and Blumenauer sent a letter with 14 of their House colleagues to HISA, Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission calling for an immediate investigation into these concerning and untimely deaths and for the results to be made public.
The letter also asked for an update on what steps are being considered to prevent future deaths, including any enforcement mechanisms under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, which was signed into law in December 2020. The group also asked if HISA will expand its investigation to examine other potential factors, such as breeding techniques, veterinary medicine and training methods in order to determine if they play a role in horseracing deaths.
From April 27 to May 27, 12 horses died at Churchill Downs. Of those, two were characterized by the racetrack as “highly unusual.” According to The Jockey Club’s Equine Injury Database, from 2009-2021, 7,274 thoroughbred deaths occurred.
Buchanan is a leading advocate for protecting endangered species and ending animal cruelty, introducing and co-sponsoring dozens of important animal measures. Most recently, he introduced the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act to permanently ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption and prohibit the export of live horses to Mexican and Canadian slaughterhouses to be sold overseas. In 2019, Buchanan’s legislation, the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, was signed into law, which banned extreme forms of animal cruelty and torture. The PACT Act was the nation’s first federal animal cruelty law.
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