CDI Unveils New Policies To Enhance Safety For Jockeys, Horses

New Churchill Downs Regulations Mirror NTRA Recommendations For Safety

Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) has announced a series of new rules and policies designed to enhance safety and welfare for jockeys and horses ahead of the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 2. Measures will include standardized third-party testing of track surfaces and comprehensive testing of all winning horses for more than 100 banned substances. The initiatives will go into effect on April 25, the first day of the track's '09 Spring Meet (CDI). DAILY RACING FORM's Marty McGee reported CDI will apply the new rules "to all company tracks by the start of their respective 2010 meets." Many of Churchill’s rules "mirror the recommendations" of the NTRA’s new Safety & Integrity Alliance program, which was formed in October "principally in response to widespread criticism and scrutiny of horse racing following" the death of Eight Belles following the Kentucky Derby (DRF.com, 3/2). In Louisville, Gregory Hall reports CDI's "Safety from Start to Finish" program, which is "expected to cost at least" $1M annually, includes some efforts that CDI officials said were "being developed even before the fatal breakdown of Eight Belles." CDI Senior VP/Communications & National Public Affairs Kevin Flanery said that the goal was to "create a 'global safety program that would fit all of our tracks,' ensuring that no matter the location, racing is 'safe for the jockeys (and) for the equine athletes.'" NTRA President Alex Waldrop "praised Churchill's efforts, which he said should allow its tracks to be certified" in the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance program. Waldrop said the CDI effort "in some ways ... may go beyond" the new NTRA standards (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 3/3).