LOUISVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — Churchill Downs has decided to move the remainder of the spring meet to Ellis Park following a series of deaths involving horses in the past couple of months.
Starting June 7, Churchill Downs says they will suspend racing operations through the remainder of the Spring Meet, scheduled to run to July 3. Live racing at Churchill Downs will be conducted as scheduled this weekend, and the rest of the race meet will be at Ellis Park in Henderson, Kentucky, beginning on Saturday, June 10.
The announcement comes as 12 horses have died at Churchill Downs over the last couple of months. Officials say following a through internal review and other investigations by Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) and Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), "no single factor has been identified as a potential cause and no discernable pattern has been detected to link the fatalities."
Even though testing reports indicate there are no surface issues at Churchill Downs, officials say they are making the move to Ellis Park out of an abundance of caution.
Ellis Park traditionally hosts a summer race meet in Kentucky that is scheduled from July 7 to August 27, 2023. The new safety initiatives announced by Churchill Downs earlier this week will remain in effect for the remainder of this meet at Ellis Park.
