While trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. remains indefinitely banned from Churchill Downs Incorporated racetracks, many racing fans have observed he has continued racing at Gulfstream Park near his South Florida base. Representatives from 1/ST Racing said May 18 that some of Joseph's trainees have been required to undergo additional layers of veterinary scrutiny as he remains under investigation by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.
After two Joseph-trained horses suffered sudden deaths within a few days of each other at Churchill Downs in the run-up to the Kentucky Derby, the KHRC scratched his remaining entrants — including Derby hopeful Lord Miles — and launched an investigation into his operation. Churchill announced its private property ban on Joseph later the same day.
It can be difficult to pinpoint the cause of sudden death in a racehorse, even after a necropsy has been completed. Experts say they're probably usually the result of a cardiac or pulmonary failure — which may or may not be exercise-induced and therefore difficult to detect when the horse is in the barn. Joseph has said he had no explanation for the statistically unusual deaths, but noted that both horses had previously been training at Keeneland.
A suspension from a regulatory agency like a racing commission is automatically reciprocated by other states, but the KHRC investigation continues and stewards have not yet issued a ruling against Joseph. The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority is also conducting an independent investigation to check for any rule violations but has also not yet reached a conclusion. Bans issued by a racetrack are done on a private property basis, and Aidan Butler, chief executive officer of 1/ST Racing and Gaming/The Stronach Group, said there's no obligation that another company reciprocate that decision.
1/ST has, however, required that Joseph horses that have been training in Kentucky pass additional blood and physical tests before they may be entered at races at their tracks.
Dr. Dionne Benson, chief veterinary officer at The Stronach Group, said the track operator required Joseph to do blood tests checking complete blood count, selenium levels, and cardiac troponins, as well as looking at blood clotting time and checking for any rodenticide exposure. (Rodenticide was discovered in trace amounts on necropsy of two horses who suffered sudden death in California in 2013.) Additionally, a board-certified internal medicine veterinary performed echocardiograms on those horses at rest, during a gallop, and during breezing.
“Several of the horses were required to wear what's called a holter monitor overnight just to make sure there were no irregularities in heart rate or rhythm overnight when we weren't watching the horses,” said Benson. “Mr. Joseph was very cooperative with all of that. We've had eyes on everything and the reports we've gotten back from the cardiac specialist were that horses did not have any increased risk of having heart issues based on the testing that was performed.”
In the days since Churchill announced its ban on Joseph on May 4, he has started 17 horses at Gulfstream Park. He has another 15 entries there between May 18 and May 21. According to their recent workout histories, none of them are coming from his string at Keeneland or Churchill Downs, but have instead been based either at Gulfstream or nearby Palm Meadows.
Joseph runs more horses at Gulfstream than any other trainer. From the start of the 2021-'22 championship meet at Gulfstream through the conclusion of the 2022 fall meet, he had 665 starts at the South Florida track.
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