Joseph horses subjected to extra testing at Gulfstream

Horses trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. that were shipped from Kentucky to Florida over the last two weeks have been subjected to a battery of blood and heart tests before being allowed to perform at Gulfstream Park or its related training center, the chief veterinary officer for Gulfstream’s parent company said on Wednesday.

The exceptional protocols were put in place after two of Joseph’s horses suffered sudden deaths at Churchill Downs in Louisville in the week prior to the May 6 Kentucky Derby. As a result of the deaths, Joseph was banned by Churchill, which said in a release that the ban would last “until details [of the deaths] are analyzed and understood.”

As per Kentucky regulations, the two dead horses will be necropsied, a process that will likely take months.

Joseph is based in South Florida, and following the Derby, he shipped his Kentucky horses back to his home base, including Lord Miles, a Derby entrant who was scratched by the Kentucky stewards because of the deaths. Both horses who died had been based at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington prior to running at Churchill.

According to Dr. Dionne Benson, the chief veterinary officer of 1/ST Racing, which owns Gulfstream Park and the Palm Meadows Training Center, all of Joseph’s Kentucky shippers were placed in a special barn and subjected to a variety of blood tests, running from regulated and prohibited medications to substances such as rodenticides that can cause sudden deaths, before being allowed to train or race. The horses were also examined by a heart specialist, Benson said, at Joseph’s expense.

“He’s done everything we’ve asked, been totally cooperative,” Benson said.

Mortality reports for sudden deaths do not usually return a definitive cause of death for a variety of reasons. The most common causes are heart abnormalities and internal bleeding.

Before the Joseph horses were allowed to work, they were given echocardiograms to monitor heart function. Heart monitors were then attached to the horses while they worked, Benson said, and the horses were then subjected to post-workout echocardiograms.

Benson said that the blood tests did not return any results that needed additional investigation and that the horses that have worked so far have not displayed any unusual heart activity.

Joseph has said he has no explanation for the sudden deaths and that he had ordered bloodwork on all of his horses at Churchill who were previously stabled at Keeneland. The tests came back negative, he said. He has also said that he had ordered tests on his barn’s feed, hay, and supplements.

Benson said that the extraordinary measures were necessary to demonstrate that Gulfstream was taking all precautions to ensure that Joseph’s horses were healthy. So far, nothing has come up to necessitate taking any action against Joseph, she said.

“At the end of the day, we’re going to follow due process, and if something comes up later that seems amiss, we’re prepared to make tough decisions,” Benson said.

Lord Miles, the scratched Derby entrant, worked last Friday morning at Palm Meadows. After the work, Joseph said the horse was being pointed to the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown, on June 10.

However, the New York Racing Association appears to be ready to block the horse from competing in the race if the circumstances surrounding the two dead horses have not been cleared up prior to the Belmont Stakes, according to a statement issued on Wednesday afternoon by Pat McKenna, NYRA’s vice president of communications, in response to an inquiry about Joseph’s status.

“Following recent events at Churchill Downs, which remain under investigation by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, NYRA has engaged in discussions with trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.,” the statement said. “Mr. Joseph has no horses stabled at Belmont Park and, to our understanding, is not currently planning on shipping horses to New York or entering races at Belmont Park while the matter is under investigation. NYRA will continue to evaluate our response should new information come to light.”

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