A new push to protect racehorses is leaving behind young thoroughbreds

Federal protections for racehorses don’t apply to young, vulnerable thoroughbreds.

I was the lead reporter, writer and producer on this investigation.

Oct. 25, 2023

By: Carrie Cochran, Amy Fan, Patrick Terpstra

The deaths of seven thoroughbred horses in the days leading up to the Kentucky Derby overshadowed the race at Churchill Downs this spring. After the event, five more horses died. 

Then late this summer, during a race at another famous track in Saratoga Springs, New York, the horse in the lead, Maple Leaf Mel, suddenly stumbled to the ground just a few feet from the finish line. The injury to the horse’s right leg was so grave that handlers had to euthanize her right away in front of crowds gathered in the grandstands.

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