Kentucky Derby trainer suspended after horse deaths

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.’s last horse in the Kentucky Derby, Lord Miles, was eliminated Thursday after Churchill Downs suspended Joseph. In the past two weeks, four horses have died at Churchill Downs, where the race is held. Two of the horses were put down after injuries, but the track is still investigating the deaths of the other two horses, who were both trained by Joseph. Mandarin Hero will replace Lord Miles in Saturday’s race. 

How are they investigating? The horses’ feed, hay, and supplements are being tested, Joseph told the Louisville Courier-Journal. Their bloodwork was clean, Joseph said. The horses had been running earlier in the week when they died. The horses left the gate, “didn’t even try, and then dropped down,” Joseph said. 

Dig deeper: Listen to Travis K. Kircher’s report in The World and Everything in It podcast on how a chaplain and his team bring the gospel to the Derby.