LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky Derby is the world's most famous horse race, but to be on site at Churchill Downs during Derby Week is to understand that it’s really its own economy.
For 364 days a year, horse racing is a small, niche sport. On the first Saturday in May, it is a magnet for money and a Mecca for thousands of people who will spend whatever it takes just to be in the middle of America’s biggest party. Every year, it seemingly gets bigger and better, with Churchill finding new ways to build luxury seats that get snapped up instantly for Derby weekend but will go unused every other day of the year.
And it all goes away if horse racing is ever deemed by the American public to be a cruel, abusive, pariah sport.
That puts into some perspective what was at stake when Nick Smith, a veterinarian for the state racing commission, deemed Saturday morning that Derby favorite Forte was unfit to race because of a hoof bruise and scratched him over what seemed to be the objections of owner Mike Repole and trainer Todd Pletcher.
Repole, who has spent tens of millions of dollars buying horses in hopes of one day winning the Derby, had what appeared to be an animated discussion for several minutes with Smith before the decision was made.
While devastated, Repole ultimately showed class and grace in accepting his fate. But the way he talked about what happened Saturday morning suggests this was not an automatic call and that the horse may well have run if it were left up to him and Pletcher.
“I feel bad for the horse,” Repole said in an interview on FanDuel TV. “(He won) six of seven. He might be ready to run in the Preakness if we want. I think me and Todd are going to need more recovery than him.”
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But Repole also said this, which is the far more important factor in this discussion: “The stakes are high, always. I think all eyes are on this race.”
Here is the brutal reality of horse racing: Everyone who has ever been to the racetrack understands that they may see something tragic that day. They may even see death.
It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. And when it does, there are no shortage of fans, media members and animal welfare activists calling for the end of horse racing.
Even in its diminished state, the sport endures and the Kentucky Derby thrives. But each incident that brings tragedy into people’s living rooms makes it more likely that one day it will all go away.
Those are the stakes. And that’s why Forte could not run. The horses are new every year. The owners and trainers come and go. But the Derby is the show. And Churchill Downs cannot afford tens of millions of people watching their race Saturday and thinking about animal death.
This has already been a horrendous week on that front. It began with Wild On Ice, who was pointing toward the Derby, injuring a hind leg during an April 27 workout and needing to be euthanized later that day. He would be the first of six horses that have died at Churchill, including two from the same barn who ran and then collapsed on the track.
The trainer of those horses, Saffie Joseph, was suspended by Churchill Downs and his Derby entry Lord Miles was scratched. The next day, Joseph told reporters “I’m the scapegoat” and said he was sidelined because Churchill wanted to “save their image.”
You bet they did, Saffie. Because without their image and the reasonable assurance that horses aren’t going to drop dead in front of 120,000 people, this isn’t much of a party.
The truth is, we never know much about the actual health of horses when they go into the starting gate. It’s part of what makes gambling so difficult.
It’s just common sense that 1,000-pound animals running at top speed on spindly legs are rarely going to be 100% without any sort of irritation or inflammation somewhere. Does that mean they can’t or shouldn’t run? Those aren’t always easy questions.
Some trainers lie and obfuscate and conceal — sometimes with illegal medications — to make sure their horses can run even when they shouldn’t. But for people like Repole and Pletcher, who are at the top of the sport and have Derby contenders every year, you’d like to think they wouldn’t take any risks like that.
If this were the seventh race at Belmont on a Wednesday rather than the Kentucky Derby, would Forte have run? Maybe the better question is, if this wasn’t the Kentucky Derby, would Pletcher and Repole have scratched the horse themselves and waited for another day? We’ll probably never know the truth.
That’s why, with so much on the line, these decisions are best left to independent veterinarians who have no skin in the game. If they sense a horse is in any sort of discomfort, it’s their duty to mitigate the risk.
Obviously, the health and welfare of the horses is most important. But the reality of Churchill’s business, which relies so much on this one day every year, means that the Derby requires extra scrutiny. And the racetrack doesn’t mind ruffling feathers in pursuit of it.
Bob Baffert, who has won the Derby six times, felt like a scapegoat after Medina Spirit tested positive for betamethasone after winning in 2021. He is currently serving a two-year suspension. Joseph feels like a scapegoat because nobody can explain why two of his horses died. And now Repole feels like Churchill’s hyper-vigilance has taken away a chance from a horse that could have run.
If that’s the price of minimizing any chance that the Derby turns tragic, it’s clear Churchill will pay it. There’s never any guarantee that this day will go off without any problems because horse racing is a dangerous sport. They just don’t want you to think about that when you’re paying thousands of dollars for tickets to America’s biggest outdoor party.
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