by LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Churchill Downs suspended trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. indefinitely and Lord Miles, who is trained by Joseph, was pulled from the Kentucky Derby on Thursday, days after the sudden deaths of two of his horses at the track.
The suspension prohibits Joseph, or any trainer directly or indirectly employed by him, from entering horses in races or applying for positions at all tracks owned by Churchill Downs Inc.
The decision comes after the deaths of Parents Pride on Saturday and Chasing Artie on Tuesday. Both collapsed on the track and died after the races.
“Given the sudden unexplained deaths, we have reasonable concerns about the condition of your horses and have decided to suspend you indefinitely until the details are discussed and understood,” Bill Mudd, CDI’s president and chief operating officer, said in a statement. “The safety of our equine and human athletes and the integrity of our sport is our highest priority. We feel that these measures are our duty and responsibility.”
Investigators have yet to find any cause in the deaths of both of Joseph’s horses within 72 hours, along with two others over the past week, which has affected Churchill Downs in final preparations for the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.
“This is the worst part of the game,” said Mike Repole, co-owner of Forte, an early Derby favorite. “It is very sad.”
Joseph said Thursday that he was questioned by investigators from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and Churchill Downs.
“They found no irregularities on our part,” he said.
Joseph received permission from the KHRC to withdraw five horses from the races on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, according to the Daily Racing Form. He had already scratched one on Wednesday. He told reporters earlier in the day that he scratched any horse that had been in contact with the two who died as a precaution.
Despite the deaths, Joseph had planned to run Lord Miles in the Derby. The foal arrived from Florida; the two dead horses had been at Keeneland in Lexington.
Joseph, a 36-year-old third-generation trainer, said Thursday that investigators examined his stable, checked the horses’ veterinary records and took blood samples from each of his horses, which showed nothing abnormal. He also checked the feed, hay, straw and supplements used by the horses.
The deaths are the first for Joseph, who came to Florida in 2011 after training in his native Barbados.
“It crushes you. It hits your confidence, it makes you doubt everything,” she said.
At the same time, he added: “There are two ways: you can either run away and pretend it didn’t happen or you can face it and figure out what we can do.”
Meanwhile, two horses left their exercise jockeys during training at the track Thursday, including Derby entry Verifying. None of the cyclists were injured.
In addition to Joseph’s horses, longshot Derby Wild On Ice and 3-year-old filly Take Charge Briana suffered musculoskeletal injuries while training or racing at Churchill Downs. Both were euthanized.
Joseph said the first necropsy performed on his horse did not reveal a cause of death.
“We’re living in unfamiliar terms right now, so that’s the awkward part,” he said.
Spectators at morning training were shocked when Verifying, one of four runners in trainer Brad Cox’s Derby, broke loose on the track and activated a warning siren. The colt was caught by a jockey and handed over to Cox, who took it back to the stable. The exercise cyclist dislocated his right shoulder.
“He was galloping and he looked great. The next thing I knew, the cyclist was on the ground,” Cox said. “We were lucky, we dodged a bullet.”
Cox said he had “no concerns” about any problems with the track as a result of the deaths of the horses.
Not long after, And Tell Me Nolies reared up and tossed his rider before careening off the track and rampaging through the stable area in search of his barn. Trainer Peter Miller said the filly appeared to be doing well and is scheduled to start at Kentucky Oaks on Friday.
“Luckily, she didn’t fall or anything, so she’s fine,” he said.
Repole thinks it would help if the sport did more to reassure the public about how seriously it takes safety.
“People will understand the injuries,” he said. “People will not understand injuries with death.”
The industry was rocked in 2019, when more than 40 horses died in Santa Anita, California. As a result, a series of security reforms were enacted that have spread across the country.
“Horses get great care and we do everything we can to prevent these kinds of things, but they still happen,” Joseph said. “Many times in those sudden deaths you never get answers.”
