Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) has reached an agreement with the Kentucky Horse
Racing Authority (KHRA) regarding the procedures followed for assigning
assistant starters for this year’s Kentucky Derby (G1). CDI has agreed to pay an
administrative assessment of $15,000, but does not admit any wrongdoing as part
of the agreement.
The review of CDI procedures followed the assignment of an assistant starter
to a specific horse for Kentucky Derby 134. As part of the review, the KHRA
determined there was no evidence of inappropriate behavior by the assistant
starter during the loading.
“The questions raised concerned the procedures by which staff are hired and
assigned to start a race,” said Steve Sexton, president of Churchill Downs and
executive vice president of Churchill Downs Inc. “We were eager to cooperate in
the review and to swiftly address the KHRA’s concerns regarding these
procedures. We believe this agreement is an acceptable resolution for both the
KHRA and Churchill Downs. We are particularly satisfied with their conclusion
that the actual running of Kentucky Derby 134 was handled appropriately.”