In a letter released to the media Friday afternoon, U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon), along with 15 bipartisan supporters, are urging the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) to launch an investigation into the equine deaths at Churchill Downs earlier this month.
Addressed to HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus, Blumenauer's letter requests a response within 60 days and makes note of figures from the Equine Injury Database showing that between 2009 and 2021 some 7,274 Thoroughbred fatalities have occurred on American racetracks.
The Congressman urges HISA to make the findings of any investigation public, and encourages the group to review the horses' necropsies and medical records–which has been a standard part of mortality reviews in Kentucky for years and is spelled out in the existing HISA racetrack safety rules.
This story was first reported by The Paulick Report. Click here to read a copy of the letter.
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