Seventh Horse Euthanized In Lead Up To Kentucky Derby

It's been a rough week at Churchill Downs. There are now more than half a dozen horses that have been euthanized in the lead-up to the Kentucky Derby.

Just hours after news broke that a sixth horse needed to be euthanized after suffering a knee injury during a race on the undercard, another horse needed to be put down.

The seventh horse's name was Freezing Point. A 3-year-old colt, the horse suffered an injury during its undercard race earlier in the day.

The rash of deaths concerned fans. Most of them showed up just to place bets, wear giant hats, and crush some mint juleps.

“It’s concerning, and I hope they’re quickly trying the best they can to correct whatever’s going on,” fan Michael Freeze told the Associated Press. “They need to do whatever is best for the horses, and the sport in general.”

“There’s something going on,” another spectator Pat Murtha said. “They need to find out, and set some rules and regulations to protect these animals.”

I think they have those, but hey, who doesn't want more regulations?

It sounds like an unfortunate coincidence that so many horses are getting hurt, including favorite, Forte who was scratched early Saturday. In all five horses withdrawn from the Derby,

However, Jeff Hiles, who trained the sixth horse to be put down, Chloe's Dream, didn't seem to think the track was to blame.

“He just took a bad step out there,” Hiles said. “They could do the same thing running in the field as they could on the track. So it’s very unfortunate. That’s what we deal with.”

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