Deaths at the Kentucky Derby bring changes ahead of the 150th edition at Churchill Downs

Memories are made at the Kentucky Derby, most of them good. Whether cashing a winning ticket, sipping mint juleps or marveling at the horses, crowds pack Churchill Downs to experience a bucket list sporting event.

Many left last year in tears, anger and questioning the safety of the sport after 12 horses died at the historic track in the days surrounding the race, including two on Derby day when racing enjoys its biggest attendance and highest TV ratings of the year.

“You can’t ever be too safe when it comes to our sport,” two-time Derby-winning jockey Mike Smith said.

Deaths occurred at other major racing venues last year, too, in what become a tragic theme for the sport.

The number of deaths in the United States increased slightly in 2023 from the year before, according to data tracked by the Equine Injury Database and reported by HISA. HISA said there were 1.32 deaths per 1,000 starts last year, up from 1.25 the previous year. The number at the 50 HISA-accredited tracks was 1.23 per 1,000, compared with 1.63 at others across the country.

“We’re encouraged by that progress,” said Lisa Lazarus, CEO of HISA, “but we certainly have a whole lot more work to do.”

A review of 14 horse deaths at Saratoga in upstate New York last summer found no definitive cause for why they happened, although heavy rainfall could have contributed.

Investigations by Churchill Downs and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) — the sport’s new governing body — didn’t identify one common cause for the deaths around the Derby.

“When we say that there’s not one singular factor that caused the breakdowns, it doesn’t mean that we don’t know what the risk factors are that contribute to breakdowns,” Lazarus said. “Those are things we’ve been working on very hard.”

The deaths prompted Churchill Downs to make several changes to its safety program ahead of the 150th Derby on Saturday.

The track upgraded equipment used to harrow and grade the dirt surface, with increased testing to measure safety and consistency. The cushion is measured in spots around the track and moisture content is checked throughout racing days to decide the watering schedule.

“The track is a lot different than it was. It’s got more sand in it now, it’s got more base, more cushion,” said 88-year-old Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who saddles Just Steel in the Derby. “It’s quite a bit deeper. Horses are getting over it good.”

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who has Resilience in the Derby, likes Churchill's dirt strip when it's dry. There is a 40% chance of rain on Derby day.

“I don’t like it as much when it’s wet,” he said. “It does not handle water as well as it used to, probably because of a lack of sand in it. Hopefully, we get good normal conditions and I think we’re looking at a good race track.”

The New York Racing Association — which runs the Belmont Stakes, racing’s third leg of the Triple Crown — is studying the feasibility of adopting all-weather surfaces at tracks nationwide.

Churchill Downs added an equine safety and integrity veterinarian to help enforce its rules. Fifteen vets from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission joined the track’s vet team to observe horses this week before, during and after training and in their stalls after they arrive.

A new safety management committee comprised of trainers, exercise riders, jockeys, track management and vets meets weekly to discuss concerns and provide feedback on areas for improvement.

All horses racing at Churchill Downs wear StrideSAFE biometric sensors that detect changes in their gaits to help spot inconsistencies or early signs of a potential developing injury. The track installed a PET unit for diagnostic imaging, only the second such machine permanently located at a U.S. racetrack.

Realizing the effect last year's deaths had on the public, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association has launched a national advertising campaign called “Safety Runs First” to explain what the industry is doing to improve equine safety.

NTRA president and CEO Tom Rooney points to HISA, as well as investments in new diagnostic technologies, advanced data analytics and veterinary and track surface protocols, as “a testament to our collective dedication to enhancing safety practices within the industry.”

HISA took effect in July 2022 to implement national standards for safety at racetracks, replacing the patchwork rules of the 38 racing states. Its antidoping and medication control program didn’t start until late May 2023, after last year’s Derby and Preakness, where one of trainer Bob Baffert’s horses was injured in a race and was euthanized.

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. was suspended and had his Derby horse scratched ahead of last year’s race after the sudden deaths of two of his horses at Churchill Downs. He was reinstated when an investigation showed no wrongdoing on his part.

“It proved that we handled things correctly,” he said. “Why did it happen? We don’t know. We didn’t have answers. It knocks you down and it’s something you carry the rest of your life. We’re thankful to be back.”

Joseph will saddle long shot Catalytic on Saturday.

HISA has been dogged by legal challenges from groups of horsemen opposing the new rules and frustration from those eager for national uniform rules in the sport. Still, many see progress being made, even as it’s come in fits and starts.

“It’s been a little bit sloppy and all over the place,” two-time Derby-winning trainer Doug O’Neill said, “but I do think the sport has evolved into a safer sport.”

Smith, who isn’t participating Saturday but has ridden in a record 28 Derbies, has adjusted to the additional scrutiny.

“It’s a wonderful, beautiful, beautiful game, but it can also be very dangerous,” he said. “We certainly need all these protocols.”

AP Sports Writer Gary B. Graves in Louisville, Kentucky, contributed to this report.

AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing

FILE - Horses compete during the148th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico Race Course, Saturday, May 20, 2023, in Baltimore. Horse deaths marred last year’s Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Breeders’ Cup, with officials finding no single factor to blame. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

FILE - A track worker carries the saddle blanket of Havnameltdown away as the horse is euthanized after suffering a catastrophic leg injury during the sixth race prior to the 148th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico Race Course, Saturday, May 20, 2023, in Baltimore. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun via AP, File)

FILE - Up an Octave, right, ridden by John Velazquez, breaks down and falls about a sixteenth of a mile past the finish line after winning the Forerunner Stakes horse race at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., April 20, 2006. Up an Octave had to be euthanized on the track. No. 8 is Yate's Black Cat, ridden by Rene Douglas. Horse deaths marred last year’s Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Breeders’ Cup, with officials finding no single factor to blame. (AP Photo/Charles Bauer, File)

FILE - Mongolian Groom is treated after the Breeders' Cup Classic horse race at Santa Anita Park, in Arcadia, Calif., Nov. 2, 2019. Breeders' Cup Classic. Horse deaths marred last year’s Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Breeders’ Cup, with officials finding no single factor to blame.. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

FILE - An outrider intercepts Havnameltdown after the horse lost it's rider and suffered a catastrophic leg injury during the sixth race prior to the 148th running of the Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico Race Course, Saturday, May 20, 2023, in Baltimore. The Bob Baffert trained horse was euthanized on the race track. Horse deaths marred last year’s Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Breeders’ Cup, with officials finding no single factor to blame. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun via AP, File, File)

FILE - Track personnel try to hold down Eight Belles after the 134th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., May 3, 2008. Eight Belles was euthanized after breaking both front ankles following a second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. Horse deaths marred last year’s Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Breeders’ Cup, with officials finding no single factor to blame. (AP Photo/Brian Bohannon, File)

FILE - Javier Castellano, atop Mage, third from left, is seen with others behind the pack as they make the first turn while competing in the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 6, 2023, in Louisville, Ky. Horse deaths marred last year’s Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Breeders’ Cup, with officials finding no single factor to blame. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

FILE - Uncle Lino is comforted after an injury during the 141st Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico Race Course, Saturday, May 21, 2016, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Leading artificial intelligence companies made a fresh pledge at a mini-summit Tuesday to develop AI safely, while world leaders agreed to build a network of publicly backed safety institutes to advance research and testing of the technology.

Google, Meta and OpenAI were among the companies that made voluntary safety commitments at the AI Seoul Summit, including pulling the plug on their cutting-edge systems if they can’t rein in the most extreme risks.

The two-day meeting is a follow-up to November’s AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in the United Kingdom, and comes amid a flurry of efforts by governments and global bodies to design guardrails for the technology amid fears about the risk it poses both to everyday life and to humanity.

Leaders from 10 countries and the European Union will “forge a common understanding of AI safety and align their work on AI research," the British government, which co-hosted the event, said in a statement. The network of safety institutes will include those already set up by the U.K., U.S., Japan and Singapore since the Bletchley meeting, it said.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the opening session that seven months after the Bletchley Park meeting “We are seeing life-changing technological advances and life-threatening new risks — from disinformation to mass surveillance to the prospect of lethal autonomous weapons.”

The U.N. chief said in a video address that there needs to be universal guardrails and regular dialogue on AI. “We cannot sleepwalk into a dystopian future where the power of AI is controlled by a few people — or worse, by algorithms beyond human understanding,” he said.

The 16 AI companies that signed up for the safety commitments also include Amazon, Microsoft, Samsung, IBM, xAI, France’s Mistral AI, China’s Zhipu.ai, and G42 of the United Arab Emirates. They vowed to ensure the safety of their most advanced AI models with promises of accountable governance and public transparency.

It's not the first time that AI companies have made lofty-sounding voluntary safety commitments. Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft were among a group that signed up last year to voluntary safeguards brokered by the White House to ensure their products are safe before releasing them.

The Seoul meeting comes as some of those companies roll out the latest versions of their AI models.

The safety pledge includes publishing frameworks setting out how the companies will measure the risks of their models. In extreme cases where risks are severe and “intolerable," AI companies will have to hit the kill switch and stop developing or deploying their models and systems if they can't mitigate the risks.

Since the U.K. meeting last year, the AI industry has “increasingly focused on the most pressing concerns, including mis- and dis- information, data security, bias and keeping humans in the loop,” said Aiden Gomez CEO of Cohere, one of the AI companies that signed the pact. "It is essential that we continue to consider all possible risks, while prioritizing our efforts on those most likely to create problems if not properly addressed.”

Governments around the world have been scrambling to formulate regulations for AI even as the technology makes rapid advances and is poised to transform many aspects of daily life, from education and the workplace to copyrights and privacy. There are concerns that advances in AI could eliminate jobs, spread disinformation or be used to create new bioweapons.

This week's meeting is just one of a slew of efforts on AI governance. The U.N. General Assembly has approved its first resolution on the safe use of AI systems, while the U.S. and China recently held their first high-level talks on AI and the European Union's world-first AI Act is set to take effect later this year.

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Chan contributed to this report from London. Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer contributed from the United Nations.

FILE - Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunk, center, speaks during a plenary session at the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes, England, on Nov. 2, 2023. South Korea is set to host a mini-summit this week on risks and regulation of artificial intelligence, following up on an inaugural AI safety meeting in Britain in 2023 that drew a diverse crowd of tech luminaries, researchers and officials. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool, File)

A screen shows an announcement of the AI Seoul Summit in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. World leaders are expected to adopt a new agreement on artificial intelligence when they gather virtually Tuesday to discuss AI’s potential risks but also ways to promote its benefits and innovation. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A screen shows an announcement of the AI Seoul Summit in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. World leaders are expected to adopt a new agreement on artificial intelligence when they gather virtually Tuesday to discuss AI’s potential risks but also ways to promote its benefits and innovation. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)