Churchill Downs, the most tradition-steeped thoroughbred racetrack in America, bucked tradition in bombshell fashion Friday. It announced that it is shutting down its spring meet at the tragedy-scarred track and moving operations to Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky., next week. The meet will remain there through its conclusion in early July.
This is in response to a spate of horse deaths—12 of them in a month’s time—and it is a departure from the industry’s old-school mindset. For more than a century, racing tended to express brief dismay and then shrug off the fatal injuries that are a disturbing part of the sport. This is by no means a shrug-it-off action, and it underscores the new world in which racing is trying to survive and thrive.
The public is increasingly less inclined to simply accept dead horses as part of the deal, and nobody can blame them for that. With this spike in deaths, the home of the Kentucky Derby and the entire sport have come under increased scrutiny and blistering criticism—and they’re actually listening and reacting to it.
