Horse racing will return in time for Carnival, months after the Clinton E. Phipps Racetrack shutdown for a track inspection amid an investigation into the conditions that led to multiple horse deaths.
In January, the St. Thomas/St. John Horse Racing Commission announced the suspension of all racing and an investigation into racetrack conditions following a disastrous race day weeks prior that saw three horses injured and euthanized, bringing the total number of horse deaths since the track reopened for the 2024 Carnival up to seven.
“Several factors have been identified that may have contributed to the events, including preexisting injuries, the age and overall health of the horses, the ease and availability of medication used by owners, and the condition of the racing surface,” according to a letter penned by the commission and shared by the V.I. Sports, Parks and Recreation Department at the time.
The track temporarily closed for surface inspection and maintenance in February. According to reporting by the Virgin Islands Daily News and other local media outlets Thursday, an inspection determined that the track is up to code and was not responsible for the horses’ breakdowns. Commission Chair Hugo Hodge Jr. did not respond to calls from the Source by Thursday evening.
The commission’s January letter noted that “the use of medication on racehorses is a significant concern, particularly as it relates to the incidents on December 22, 2024. We acknowledge that this issue is currently beyond our full control due to the existing legislative suspension of anti-doping testing for banned substances.”
That suspension dates back to the April 2023 passing of Act 8722, a grab bag of appropriations and amendments which included a section holding the Virgin Islands Code’s anti-doping provisions in abeyance “until the Virgin Islands Horse Racing Commission has advised the Legislature … that all obligations to fund and construct horse racing facilities at the Randall “Doc” James Racetrack on St. Croix and the Clinton E. Phipps Racetrack on St. Thomas … have been met.”
Sen. Franklin Johnson unsuccessfully sought an amendment to repeal the suspension in November 2023. Following the most recent horse deaths, he wrote that the events “highlight the consequences of insufficient oversight.”
“While investigations by the St. Thomas/St. John Horse Racing Commission and the Sports, Parks, and Recreation Department continue, the failure to pass Amendment No. 35-292 has left a critical gap in our ability to safeguard horse racing in the Virgin Islands,” he wrote.
Johnson told the Source Thursday that he intended to introduce the amendment again in the Senate Culture, Youth, Aging, Sports and Parks Committee and said he hasn’t seen evidence that the track is safe or progress toward the regulation of medication and doping.
“So those two things, I haven’t seen a report or anything clearing any of those. So I’m still not in support, and I’ll go and spend my day — if I go — at the Children’s Parade,” he said. “Parade whole day. I’ll spend my time with the kids.”
Race fans can expect at least one other notable absence.
Pure Speight, who has taken home four straight wins at the Clinton E. Phipps Racetrack since it reopened last year, will not be running in this year’s Carnival races. Owner Marcus Knight, of Knight Racing Stables, told the Source that they didn’t feel there was enough time to get the six-year-old racehorse prepared.
“Typically it takes 90 days to get a racehorse together … it takes 90 days to get a horse fit to run,” he said. “I mean, like I said, we only had 30 days or less to get him prepared with them just opening the track.”
Knight said he had no concerns about the track itself. If there had been more time to prepare, he said, Pure Speight would have been the first one to enter.
“I mean, whoever want to run their horse can, if they feel their horses are fit to do that. I mean, go ahead — I wish them luck, you know,” he said. “But I won’t do that to my horse. I want my horse to be 100 percent when he’s on the run.”
