LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two more horses died before the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, making it seven in all in recent days at Churchill Downs, and early favorite Forte was scratched with an injury in another series of blows to thoroughbred racing, a sport already reeling from doping suspensions and breakdowns.
"This is part of racing, and it's the cruel part," Mike Repole, co-owner of Forte, said in an interview with FanDuel TV.
Chloe's Dream, a 3-year-old gelding, and Freezing Point, a 3-year-old colt, were injured in their races on Saturday’s undercard, becoming the sixth and seventh horses to have died. Forte was the fifth scratch from the lineup of Kentucky Derby entrants in the run-up to the $3 million race for 3-year-olds.
The string of horse deaths cast a pall for some spectators on a mostly cloudy and warm day.
"It's concerning, and I hope they're quickly trying the best they can to correct whatever's going on," said Michael Freeze, who along with his friend dressed up as jockeys. "They need to do whatever is best for the horses and the sport in general."
Chloe's Dream got hurt in the second race Saturday. The horse was taken off in an equine ambulance with a right front knee injury and was euthanized, trainer Jeff Hiles confirmed to The Associated Press.
"He just took a bad step out there," Hiles said. "They could do the same thing running in the field as they could on the track. So it's very unfortunate. That's what we deal with."
Freezing Point injured his left ankle in the Pat Day Mile and was euthanized, trainer Joe Lejzerowicz told the AP. He said Fort Bragg, who finished third, came over and slammed into Freezing Point during the race.
"He just got bumped in the back stretch," Lejzerowicz said. "He never took a bad step or bobble. He had a big heart."
New antidoping and medication rules enforced by a central governing body of the sport are scheduled to take effect May 22.
"There's something going on," said Pat Murtha, who was attending the Kentucky Derby for the first time. "They need to find out and set some rules and regulations to protect these animals."
U.S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, a two-time Triple Crown winner, is nearing the end of a two-year ban issued by Churchill Downs Inc. One of his horses, Medina Spirit, crossed the finish line first in the 2021 Kentucky Derby but failed a drug test after the race. The horse was disqualified and Baffert was punished.
In 2019, more than 30 horse deaths occurred at California's Santa Anita race track, rattling the industry and leading to safety reforms. Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Rick Dutrow had his license revoked in 2011 for 10 years by New York officials after regulators found syringes loaded with unauthorized medication in a desk in his barn. Dutrow reopened his stable last month.
Forte had been the early 3-1 favorite; his absence reduced the field to 18 horses for the 1 1/4-mile race, which has a post time of 6:57 p.m.
Repole said veterinarians from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission diagnosed Forte with a bruised foot. He said the colt had developed the bruise a few days ago. The colt stumbled during a workout Thursday, although trainer Todd Pletcher had downplayed it publicly.
Behind the scenes was a different story.
"We did X-rays, we brought in vets, the state vets came in and they watched him every single day," Repole said in the interview. "He's fine. He probably needs a couple more days (to recover)."
Pletcher still has two horses in the field for the “Run for the Roses”: Tapit Trice and Kingsbarns.
A crowd of about 150,000 is expected to jam Churchill Downs to wager and watch the opening race of the Triple Crown series. The Preakness Stakes is May 20 at Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course, while the Belmont Stakes is June 10 at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
The horse deaths included Derby contender Wild On Ice. Two of the horses were trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., who was indefinitely suspended by the track, although investigators have yet to determine a cause for the deaths of his horses.
"It doesn't make me happy to see a horse get euthanized," said spectator Joe Conforto, wearing jockey goggles and a stuffed horse on his head. "But I think a lot of it is bad luck. Most race horses are taken better care of than human beings."
Four horses were scratched — Continuar, Lord Miles, Practical Move and Skinner — in recent days. Practical Move and Skinner had fevers, while Continuar wasn't in peak condition, according to his Japanese trainer. Lord Miles was Joseph's Derby horse.
Forte was last year's 2-year-old champion and has a five-race winning streak, but he won’t put it on the line at the Kentucky Derby.
"You can only be a 3-year-old colt on the first Saturday in May one time in your life," Repole said. "I feel bad for the horse."