Churchill Downs races suspended due to horse deaths

TAMPA, Fla. - A major change is being made in the world of horse racing after 12 horse deaths in just one month.

Churchill Downs Inc. announced races at the Churchill Downs Racetrack will be moved beginning June 7. It says the rest of the races for the Spring Meet, which runs through July 3, will be at Ellis Park Racing and Gaming in Henderson, Kentucky.

The company said its seen an "unusual number of horse injuries over the previous month", leading to 12 horse deaths.

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Advocates in the horse industry say the news comes as a shock, but welcome the change.

"I mean, horses shouldn't be dying for a sport to make money," Mary Curran Michayluk said.

Curran Michayluk says she rode Hunter Jumper horses and owned many horses of her own for decades.

Florida plays a big role in the horse racing industry.

She says the concerns about the health and safety of horses has existed within the industry for quite some time.

"I quit going to races," she said. "I saw probably three or four horses get put down on a race day on the track. And I didn't go anymore. I just said, I can't do it."

She says she’s happy to see Churchill Downs Inc. making this move, and is hopeful this will be a pivotal moment for the future of horse racing.

"You got to take a look at these poor animals, and you have to look at humane behavior and whatever it takes to stop injuries and to stop deaths," Curran Michayluk said.

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In a statement, Churchill Downs Inc. said no single factor has been identified as a potential cause and no discernable pattern has been detected to link the deaths.

"Even though the investigations and expert reports have indicated no surface issues, in an abundance of caution, and in alignment with a recommendation from HISA, CDI has elected to relocate the meet in order to conduct a top-to-bottom review of all safety and surface protocols and integrity measures in collaboration and consultation with nationwide experts," the company said in a statement.

Horse advocates believe that horses shouldn't be dying for the sake of the sport.

"What has happened at our track is deeply upsetting and absolutely unacceptable," Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Castanjen said.

Curran Michayluk says this spotlights a longstanding issue throughout the entire country.

"And it's really sad in the race world that money matters because they're racing horses at two when they're not developed," Curran Michayluk said. "You know, two and three-year-old horses, their bones aren't ready for that."

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She says in the horse jumping world, they typically don’t start jumping horses until they’re at least four or five years old.

"Hopefully they'll find a safe way to keep it going, and we can all feel good about it," Curran Michayluk said. "We can place bets and think it's fun and, you know, we can bring some joy back to the racing world. That'd be great."

Churchill Downs Inc. says its Spring Meet races will begin at Ellis Park Racing and Gaming on Saturday.

It’s not clear whether any additional changes will be made once its Spring Meet ends.