The autopsy findings may shed light on a pair of horses possessed by Saffie Joseph Jr. Coaching to sudden death while competing in the first days of the tournament Churchill Downs Spring encounters have yet to be released, according to attorney Craig Robertson, who represents the beleaguered coach.
Additionally, email logs obtained by BloodHorse through an open records request to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission show that Kentucky managers plan to evaluate videos from Keeneland for the purpose of showing footage from the stables. of the trainer. Joseph races 11 horses at Keeneland in April before the start of the Churchill meeting. Two dead horses, Parent Pride on April 29 and Chasing Artie on May 2, skimmed Keeneland before racing at Churchill.
“I have requested copies of those and they have not yet been provided to me,” says Robertson. “I don’t know anything about what may or may not be on those videos.”
Joseph, by Churchill Downs Inc. indefinitely suspended. One of those draws was in the Kentucky Derby (G1) with the removal of Vegso Racing Stable’s Lord Miles Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) winner in April at Aqueduct race track. Immediately following KHRC’s action, Churchill Downs announced the suspension of its status as a private property owner.
Regulatory sanctions are respected from state to state, but suspensions issued by a track, track owner or racing association do not carry over to other tracks. Since the sudden deaths, Joseph has continued to race elsewhere, mainly at his main facility at Gulfstream Parktrack 1/ST.
“There has been an unfortunate string of deaths recently involving more coaches than Saffie Joseph,” said Robertson, referring to the eight deaths at Churchill Downs since April 27. “He happened to be. there were two horses, so I think he had people watching him for that. But I’m confident that eventually the results of the autopsies and everything will show that Mr. Joseph is for sure. didn’t do anything wrong.”
A KHRC investigation into Joseph’s sudden deaths and surgery is underway. It is often difficult to determine the specific cause of such deaths. Racing deaths are rare, and sudden, non-catastrophic deaths are just a fraction of them.
The KHRC filing further shows that the regulator is uncertain about the timetable for completing the autopsies conducted by the University of Kentucky’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
The KHRC denied BloodHorse’s open record request for information on drug testing on horses trained by Joseph, claiming it was exempt from disclosing information that could be used in an administrative trial.
After the Derby, Lord Miles was mentioned as a potential starter in one of the last two legs of the Triple Crown, although he was not included in the May 20 Preakness Stakes (G1) at Racecourse Pimlico. Joseph told Daily Racing Form on May 12 that Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 10 at Belmont Park has been considered.
Belmont Park currently empty after a 14 May departure from one of his horses. According to Pat McKenna, NYRA vice president of communications, he was not asked to leave the property.
“Following recent events at Churchill Downs, which are still under investigation by the Kentucky Equestrian Commission, the NYRA has entered into discussions with trainer Saffie Joseph Jr,” McKenna wrote in a statement. “Mr. Joseph does not breed horses in Belmont Park and, to our knowledge, does not currently have plans to transport horses to New York or participate in races at Belmont Park while the matter is being investigated. The NYRA will continue. Continue to evaluate our feedback if any new information goes in the bright direction.”
Being tied to the state, the NYRA has a greater obligation to provide due process rights.
“At this point, the NYRA didn’t tell him or me that he wouldn’t be allowed,” Robertson said. “That being said, we have (three weeks) from Saturday until the Belmont Stakes and we hope that between now and then we will have a lot more information and hopefully as a result of that. autopsies.”
—Dick Downey contributed to this report.
