Two horses from same barn collapsed, died at Churchill Downs: 'I'm shattered'

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Saffie Joseph, one of the leading trainers in Florida who is slated to saddle Lord Miles in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, was visibly shaken after two horses from his barn died suddenly in a four-day span after racing at Churchill Downs. 

“This is something that doesn’t happen,” he said. “I’m shattered, basically, because I know it can’t happen. The odds of it happening twice is in the trillions. I run almost 4,000 horses and it never happened. It doesn’t make sense.”

On Saturday night, 4-year-old filly Parents Pride collapsed and died following the eighth race at Churchill. Then on Tuesday, a similar tragedy occurred after 5-year-old Chasing Artie ran the eighth race. Both horses are owned by Ken Ramsey and had been at his farm near Lexington.

It has been a tragic start to the Churchill Downs meet leading up to horse racing’s most high-profile event. Also on Tuesday, 3-year-old filly Take Charge Briana from the D. Wayne Lukas barn suffered a catastrophic breakdown during the fifth race. Wild on Ice, who had been training for the Kentucky Derby, suffered a leg fracture during a workout on April 27 and had to be euthanized.

Churchill Downs confirmed the deaths of the horses Wednesday afternoon in a public statement. "While a series of events like this is highly unusual, it is completely unacceptable," the statement issued by Churchill Downs spokesperson Darren Rogers reads in part. "We take this very seriously and acknowledge that these troubling incidents are alarming and must be addressed."

While concerns will be raised about the safety of the racetrack any time there are multiple horse deaths in a short period of time, the manner in which both horses from Joseph’s barn collapsed suddenly suggest other factors at play. Joseph said his team was retracing steps and looking for any possible reason including testing the feed and hay that his horses are being given. 

Joseph said bloodwork from every horse in his barn since Tuesday night turned up nothing unusual, nor did the initial necropsy results from Parents Pride. In the meantime, though, Joseph said his plans to race other horses this weekend are in limbo.

“When you don’t know something, that’s when it worries you the most,” Joseph said. “Something is wrong. A lot of thoughts run through your head, but you can drive yourself insane. But I'm very uneasy right now. It’s not something I would wish on anybody.”

OPINION:Forte gives billionaire owner Mike Repole best Kentucky Derby chance yet

DERBY DRAW: What to know about how the 149th Kentucky Derby draw works

NO SWEAT DERBY BET:  New users can get up to $20 returned on Kentucky Derby bet with FanDuel

Joseph, a 36-year-old native of Barbados, has become one of the nation's top trainers over the last handful of years. In 2022, his runners won 174 times out of 823 starts and earned more than $10 million in prize money. 

Lord Miles, who won the Wood Memorial Stakes in April, is supposed to be Joseph’s third Derby starter. 

For any trainer, getting to the Derby is considered the peak of the profession. But after the events of the last several days, Joseph is admittedly preoccupied with questions and fear about tragedy striking again. 

“We have to get through it and figure out what’s the reason,” he said. “I don’t think it’s just bad fortune. For it to happen twice? We’re going to see. I don’t have an answer. I wish I did. I’d love to have closure. But you just have to go through protocol. Not having an answer is the worst thing. When a horse gets injured, that’s different. You have an answer. There’s no answer for this.”

Any spate of unusual horse deaths, of course, will give rise to backstretch speculation about whether malfeasance or illicit drugs were in play, which Joseph called “the hurtful part.” That only adds to the urgency for Joseph to find anything that would connect the dots.

“Theories aren’t going to help anything. We need facts,” he said. “There’s a lot of speculation, obviously, but what can you do? Until we get some kind of information it leaves you broken, it leaves you shattered. I wish I could say something."

Contributing: Louisville Courier Journal

Follow Dan Wolken on Twitter @DanWolken