Churchill Spill: Horse Euthanized, Three Jockeys Hospitalized

A six-horse spill in the second race at Churchill Downs on Saturday night left Lutkenhaus with a catastrophic left front leg injury; the horse was euthanized. Cristian Torres, Walter Rodriguez and Martin Garcia were taken to University of Louisville Hospital and reported conscious. Keith Asmussen, Axel Concepcion and Francisco Arrieta were treated and cleared at the track. Stewards declared the 6½-furlong maiden special weight for 2-year-olds with a field of 10 a no contest after 4-5 favorite Vukota finished first, refunding affected wagers except multi-race ones. Will Farmer said Industrious was treated for a left front leg injury, Shacklebolt had right hind leg lacerations, Steve Wood and Ritornello had superficial abrasions, and Midnight Rumble was caught by an outrider and walked back. Torres posted that CT, MRI and x-ray came out clear with nothing broken, only a sore back and shoulders from horses running over him, and asked prayers for Martin and Walter. Asmussen posted he was ok. Racing Post and TrueNicks put the delay at 34 minutes; a wire summary says roughly 30. No other contested facts found.