New technology could answer recent concerns over animal safety at Kentucky’s most popular horse racing track, Churchill Downs.
The Kentucky horse racing giant is testing a sensor that could predict a fatal injury before it happens. If successful, it could greatly improve horse safety during races. The issue recently plagued Chruchill Downs Inc., Kentucky’s largest gaming company and owner of Churchill Downs racetrack.
Twelve horses died this spring at Churchill Downs alone after sustaining injuries during races. In response, CDI moved races to its sister track, Ellis Park, for the remainder of the spring meet. Afterward, the company implemented new safety measures.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission also took action. The KHRC created a new position for a Safety Steward to oversee the health and well-being of Kentucky’s race horses.
New technology was being tested at Churchill Downs this spring
CDI has tested the use of StrideSafe, a sensor developed by Dr. David Lambert. It is based on a system that has been used in Australia for some time.
The StrideSafe sensor is carried in a horse’s saddlecloth that measures acceleration, movement and impact during races. After a race, the devices provide feedback through a color rating. Green means the horse is running comfortably. A yellow rating means the horse should be observed. However, red indicates the need for immediate medical attention.
Every starting horse at Churchill Downs (and the races moved to Ellis Park) used the device since the beginning of the spring meet in April. But the devices were only being used to collect data as part of a study at Washington State University.
In the wake of the recent wave of equine deaths at the park, promoters of the technology are pitching it to horsemen at Churchill Downs as an effective tool to keep horses safe. On Monday, Lambert met with trainers at the park to make his case, as reported by WDRB in Louisville.
“I’m extremely confident that this is the right answer,” Lambert said. “Very, very confident. We’ve seen thousands of cases. It works very, very well. The basic technology, the basic engineering, the basic mathematics is really good.”
Though the devices can’t predict every injury, according to Lambert, when a device returns a red rating, that horse is 300 times more likely to experience a breakdown than a horse who gets a green result.
Technology faces some resistance, but adopting it might be inevitable
Lambert hopes the technology will catch on widely, but first the industry will have to get on board. Several trainers were skeptical and raised questions as to how the data would be used and whether the devices could draw accurate conclusions about horse performance.
But Churchill Downs seems poised to adopt the technology going forward. The track’s equine medical director, Will Farmer, told WDRB they opted to participate in the study “because we want to be at the forefront of efforts to make the industry safer.” CDI and the KHRC were on board with the study months before the spring meet began.
And the industry has another proponent of the StrideSafe technology.
Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, said he has a positive outlook on the technology reaching a point of effectiveness that outweighs the concerns over data use.
“So, again, I think I remain positive about how this project is moving forward,” he told WDRB. “And hopefully, if we get to that point, it’ll be beneficial for horseman and equine health and welfare.”
