PETA slams Churchill Downs for playing ‘Russian roulette with horses’ after move to Ellis Park

PETA has surprisingly criticized Churchill Down for its decision to suspend all racing at the track, instead moving its 2023 Spring Meet to Ellis Park. 

Live racing will take place as scheduled at Churchill Downs this weekend on June 3 and 4 but following Sunday’s activity the track will go dark, following the deaths of 12 horses since April. 

The Spring Meet, which runs through July 3, will be relocated to Ellis Park in Henderson, Louisville. 

However, while relieved racing has been suspended, the animal-rights organization blasted the track for playing ‘Russian roulette’ with the lives of the horses.’ 

In a statement released to Dailymail.com, Peta said: ‘We are relieved that racing has been suspended, which PETA has been calling for since May 2, but Churchill Downs must not play Russian roulette with these horses’ lives by simply shifting the problem elsewhere. 

Churchill Downs suspended racing operations for the remainder of the Spring Meet 

The move came after 12 horses died at the Kentucky track since April 

‘Putting the bullet in a different chamber could have the same lethal outcome. We are frustrated at the racing industry’s refusal to implement technology that is scientifically and statistically proven to save lives. 

‘Until race tracks install synthetic surfaces and utilize CT scanning equipment to detect injuries, among other improvements, they can’t pretend to be mystified by fatalities.’ 

The announcement from Churchill Downs comes after 12 horses have died at the track since April with officials yet to be able to identify a commonality between the deaths. 

The move has been made to conduct a ‘top-to-bottom’ review of safety and surface protocols in the wake of the fatalities at the home of the Kentucky Derby. 

A release Friday afternoon stated that no single factor has been identified as a potential cause for the fatalities or pattern detected, but it decided to relocate the meet ‘in an abundance of caution.’

‘What has happened at our track is deeply upsetting and absolutely unacceptable,’ Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen said in the release. 

‘We need to take more time to conduct a top-to-bottom review of all of the details and circumstances so that we can further strengthen our surface, safety and integrity protocols.’

Races for next Wednesday through Friday have been canceled and won’t be made up with Ellis Park taking over the remainder on June 10. 

Seven horses died before the Kentucky Derby in May which was run in Louisville

The races at Ellis Park will have the same conditions and purse money that they would’ve at Churchill Downs, while trainers and jockeys will receive a stipend for extra costs, according to WLKY. 

Ellis Park’s meet was scheduled to start July 7 and run through August 27 but will now expand with Friday’s announcement.

The move comes a day after track superintendent Dennis Moore conducted a second independent analysis of Churchill Downs’ racing and training surfaces as part of an emergency summit called this week by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) with the track and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. 

The head of the federally created oversight agency suggested ahead of the summit that it could recommend pausing the meet and that Churchill Downs would accept that recommendation.