an investigation is open, doping hypothesis – Corriere.it

Seven horses died from April 27 to today during training and during the 149th edition of the Kentucky Derby, one of the most famous horse racing competitions reserved for three-year-old English thoroughbreds. Thus the victory of mageof his jockey Javier Castellano and the coach Gustavo Delgado (both Venezuelan). The tragedy reopens the many controversies on the treatment of animals and poses strong questions on doping just a few days after the entry into force of a very strict regulatory code on the subject. Around the Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, in the US state of Kentucky, the authorities have decided to open an investigation, given the mysterious and suspicious circumstances of the seven deaths. Wild on Ice, Take Charge Briana, Code of Kings, Parents Pride, Chasing Artie, Chloe’s Dream and Freezing Point, these are the names of the thoroughbreds who died suddenly on the track or were seriously injured by a fall, and then suppressed. Five of these deaths occurred during training in the space of just six days, the other two due to falls in unclear circumstances precisely on the race weekend. the spokesman of theHorse Racing Integrity & Safety Authority he reported that because of the injuries sustained on the track “they could not help but kill the animals”. From the equine clinic no further explanations were given about the causes of the deaths, and why most of these horses collapsed after a single curve or even before starting from the blocks. Who for a heart attack, who for sudden falls and fainting, who for collapse and consequent injuries reported. Although the public is now accustomed to these eventualities, the growing protests of activists who want to protect animal rights and the concentration of so many sensational cases in a short time cannot be ignored.

Investigations

«Transparency is an important value for us, to maintain both the credibility and safety of the races. We are concerned and offer our condolences to all those who cared for and loved these animals,” say the leaders of Churchill Downs, but evidently words are not enough. “Accidents and unacceptable deaths, we feel responsible towards all fans,” they added to the first statements, which is why an investigation was opened by the local authorities. “It makes no sense – the coaches said – We have over 4,000 horses on hand and such episodes have never occurred”. Meanwhile, one of them Saffie Joseph, the 36-year-old trainer of Parents Pride and Chasing Artie (both led by the same jockey) has been suspended by the Kentucky Derby organizers. The suspension prohibits Joseph, and any other trainers employed by him, from entering horses for races at any track owned by Churchill Downs. “We have decided to suspend him indefinitely until the circumstances are clarified. There are reasonable concerns about so many suspicious deaths in just a few days. It can’t be mere fatality,” admitted the organizers.
The trainer defends himself by saying that the authorities have not yet found any offense attributable to him, after a careful check on the stables, hay and supplements taken from the horses. It is no coincidence that on May 22, a few days after the Preakness, another leading race for US horse racing, considered the second of the Triple Crown (made up of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmon Stakes), entry into the force of a new anti-doping code, until now postponed due to the continuous appeals of the parties involved. The suspicions of the sudden deaths all fall there, since it does not rarely happen that the horses and the winners of these competitions themselves are suspended at a later time after the positivity found in the doping controls.

Controversy

Inevitable that activists immediately moved in defense of animals, rekindling the controversy over a sport that is increasingly in crisis. The world of betting itself seems to have lost interest in horse racing, as recalled by New York Times, precisely because of so many distorted results due to the doping problem, and then canceled at a later time. Media attention, although less than in the past, is however concentrated precisely on the race weekends of the American Triple Crown. It is therefore inevitable that the deaths in rapid succession have made the case even more striking. Especially if, after 72 hours of evaluations by the investigators, for i two of Joseph’s horses it has not yet been possible to trace any precise cause of death.