Another racehorse died at Churchill Downs on Sunday, the eighth equine fatality at the famous track in the past three weeks.
Rio Moon, a 3-year-old colt, “suffered a catastrophic injury” to his left front leg just after finishing a race, according to Churchill Downs. He was euthanized afterward.
The young horse had been trained by Dale Romans, and the jockey for his final race was Martin Garcia. Rio Moon competed in six races in his career, winning none of them and earning his owners $11,621.
Churchill Downs has been the site of several horse deaths in recent weeks. Five horses died in the 10 days preceding the Kentucky Derby on May 6, and two more horses died earlier that day before the Derby.
The morning-line favorite to win the Derby, Forte, was scratched before the race with a bruised foot.
Two of the dead horses were trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. Churchill Downs responded by suspending him from the track indefinitely and scratching his Derby entrant, Lord Miles. Both of Joseph’s deceased horses collapsed suddenly after races, and their causes of death were under investigation.
“Given the unexplained sudden deaths, we have reasonable concerns about the condition of his horses, and decided to suspend him indefinitely until details are analyzed and understood,” said Bill Mudd, president of Churchill Downs International.
While horse deaths in the industry are not exactly uncommon — Forte’s co-owner Mike Repole called it “part of racing” and “the cruel part” — a series of deaths at a single track often raises eyebrows. Most recently, more than 40 horses died from late 2018 into early 2020 at Santa Anita racetrack in Southern California.