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CKY Announces 25th Anniversary US Tour With CROBOT

Plus X-Cops on a few dates.

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CKY To Celebrate 25th Anniversary With “NEW REASON TO DREAM TOUR”

CKY have announced their Spring 2024 headline tour which coincides with the 25th anniversary of the band. Yes, CKY have been around and kicking your ass since 1999, and you know you love it!  The New Reason to Dream Tour kicks off on May 1 with a solo warm-up show in Knoxville, Tennessee, and runs through May 26 in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. Crobot and X-Cops will appear on select dates. All dates are below. Tickets are on sale now. Limited edition VIP meet and greet packages are available here .

“Through all the bullshit over the last couple years, you have no idea how ready we are to get back on the road and fucking rock,” the band exclaims. “25 years of CKY and we are ready for 20 more. The band sounds fucking great and the tour is going to be fucking awesome. Let’s go!”

Additionally, CKY will appear at two major fall festivals — Louder Than Life in Louisville in September and then at Aftershock in Sacramento in October. More world touring is planned through 2024 and 2025, so keep your eyes open and your ears peeled for more from CKY!

CKY ON TOUR: WITH CROBOT: 5/1 — Knoxville, TN — Open Chord* 5/2 — Savannnah, GA — Victory North 5/3 — Orlando, FL — Beacham Theatre** 5/5 — Charleston, SC — Music Farm** 5/6 — Atlanta, GA — Masquerade (Hell)** 5/7 — Norfolk, VA — Norva** 5/8 — Carborro, NC — Cat’s Cradle** 5/9 — Baltimore, MD — Rams Head Live** 5/12 — Memphis, TN — Growlers*** 5/14 — St. Louis, MO — Pop’s 5/15 — Ft. Wayne, IN — Piere’s 5/16 — Lansing, MI — Grewal Hall 5/17 — Chicago, IL — Metro 5/18 — Urbana, IL — Canopy Club 5/20 — Pittsburgh, PA — Jergel’s 5/21 — New York, NY — Racket 5/22 — Philadelphia, PA — Underground Arts 5/24 — Sayreville, NJ — Starland Ballroom 5/25 — Stroudsburg, PA — Sherman Lite 5/26 — Hampton Beach, NH — Wally’ 9/26 — Louisville, KY — Louder Than Life Festival**** 10/12 — Sacramento, CA — Aftershock Festival****

*CKY Only **With X-Cops ***No Crobot ****Festival Appearance

ABOUT CKY: Once upon a time, CKY burned it all down, with a raucous, anarchic, hard rock sound soaked in the skate-punk culture that birthed them and a hard-partying lifestyle onstage and off that decimated relationships and reputations in its wake.

Chad I Ginsburg , the band’s guitarist and singer, steps into the frontman role with charisma, charm, and bravado, confidently delivering a diverse performance as he claims a position that was clearly rightfully his to own.

He’s joined in enduring partnership and musical and personal chemistry by fellow CKY co-founder, Jess Margera , the drummer whose extracurricular work in projects like The Company Band (with guys from Clutch and Fireball Ministry) expanded CKY’s horizons as much as Ginsburg’s solo work has as well.

Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, and Deftones have all personally invited CKY on tour, cementing a legacy as a hard-charging live act. CKY built a worldwide fanbase of dedicated acolytes, friends, and supporters, lovingly dubbed the CKY Alliance, with a broader group of musicians, athletes, and other creative types in the CKY family, both literally and figuratively.

Carver City (2009) debuted at #4 on the Hard Music charts. It was the second CKY album to debut in the Top 50 on the Billboard 200: An Answer Can Be Found (2005) hit #35 upon its release. 2017’s  The Phoenix was  a spiritual successor to CKY’s breakthrough,  Infiltrate•Destroy•Rebuild  (2002), with a hint of the appropriately titled debut,  Volume 1  (1999).

“We’re grown adults now with an eagle-eye perspective on who we are, what we do, and how to do it right,” Ginsburg declares, with matter-of-fact certainty. “None of us are out there in the clouds. We’re pretty well-grounded people that have an honest perspective on where we’re at.”

The totality of the CKY experience is perhaps best summarized by a quote from enigmatic comic book legend, author, and self-proclaimed magician, Alan Moore. “My experience of life is that it is is not divided up into genres; it’s a horrifying, romantic, tragic, comical, science-fiction cowboy detective novel. You know, with a bit of pornography if you’re lucky.”

Margera observes that it was “a perfect storm of events” that led to CKY becoming a pretty popular name. “When it’s happening, you’re not paying attention. But once you get a couple of years under your belt, you realize, ‘Holy shit, man. That was lucky as hell that happened to us!,’ ya know?”

“We’re feeling rather lucky,” Ginsburg agrees. “We’re not taking things for granted. We’re saturated in gratitude. It’s an incredibly humbled CKY, with a fire to last another 20 years. The point is to go play rock ‘n’ roll and appreciate everybody else who does it, too. It’s a lucky job to have.”

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Once upon a time, CKY burned it all down, with a raucous, anarchic, hard rock sound soaked in the skate-punk culture that birthed them and a hard-partying lifestyle onstage and off that decimated relationships and reputations in its wake. Now, CKY rises from the ashes of the aftermath with The Phoenix, a bold mission statement that hoists the flag high for big, raw, authentic, earth shaking rock n’ roll, liberated from useless pretense.

CKY’s sonic rebirth sounds as incendiary, expansive, and groovy as the Joshua Tree desert where it was made, and as decadent and funky as the strip-club adjacent rehearsal room where the songs were jammed out into submission. Each song is a forceful meditation on what makes CKY so killer.

Chad I Ginsburg, the band’s guitarist and singer, steps into the frontman role with charisma, charm, and bravado, confidently delivering a diverse performance as he claims a position that was clearly rightfully his to own.

He’s joined in enduring partnership and musical and personal chemistry by fellow CKY cofounder, Jess Margera, the drummer whose extracurricular work in projects like The Company Band (with guys from Clutch and Fireball Ministry) expanded CKY’s horizons as much as Ginsburg’s solo work has as well. The duo returned to their primary project refreshed and reenergized, with bassist Matt Deis (ex-All That Remains), who first joined CKY in 2005.

Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, and Deftones have all personally invited CKY on tour, cementing a legacy as a hard-charging live act. CKY built a worldwide fanbase of dedicated acolytes, friends, and supporters, lovingly dubbed the CKY Alliance, with a broader group of musicians, athletes, and other creative types in the CKY family, both literally and figuratively.

Carver City (2009) debuted at #4 on the Hard Music charts. It was the second CKY album to debut in the Top 50 on the Billboard 200: An Answer Can Be Found (2005) hit #35 upon its release. But if anything, The Phoenix is a spiritual successor to CKY’s breakthrough, Infiltrate•Destroy•Rebuild (2002), with a hint of the appropriately titled debut, Volume 1 (1999).

“We’re grown adults now with an eagle-eye perspective on who we are, what we do, and how to do it right,” Ginsburg declares, with matter-of-fact certainty. “None of us are out there in the clouds. We’re pretty well-grounded people that have an honest perspective on where we’re at.”

And where they are at is with a career-defining album that reshapes the brightest spots of CKY’s past while charging forward into a bright, self-assured future. “We made sure that we went into the studio with our guns blazing,” Margera says. “This isn’t a bunch of parts thrown together. We focused on the songs. We didn’t ‘have to’ make this album, we wanted to.”

In keeping with CKY tradition, The Phoenix was recorded at the famed Rancho De La Luna studio in California, which has played host to Daniel Lanois, Queens Of The Stone Age, Victoria Williams, Fu Manchu, and Mark Lanegan, among others. The studio was founded by David Catching, touring guitarist for Eagles Of Death Metal (among many credits), and late “desert sound” visionary Fred Drake.

“It’s one thing reading about the vibe at Rancho,” Margera says of the locale where the notoriously cool 1997 collaborative musical collective series known as The Desert Sessions took place. “And then it’s another thing to actually go out there and make an album. You’re like, ‘Ok, I get it.’”

“It’s the center of something out there,” Ginsburg agrees. “There’s a magnetic pull or something that lands directly in Dave’s backyard. I was just relaxed, waking up in the morning and getting right into the music.”

The goal was to make an authentic, organic, and “real” rock n’ roll record, uncompromising in its dedication to capturing what CKY actually sounds like playing in a room together, experienced at that gut-wrenching level of artistic intensity and swinging groove. As Margera explains: “Listen to a Zeppelin or Pink Floyd song and put that up against the copy/paste albums that are just snapped into a ‘grid,’ or whatever. There’s no comparison.”

The Phoenix touches on anger, revenge, good versus evil, desperation, recovery, growth, knowledge, survival, enemies, friends, and more. There’s heavy, dark, signature CKY grooves, “fun shit,” “fancy shit,” driving and almost danceable stuff, big melodies, total ear candy, immense diversity… There are even parts that sound like maybe Quincy Jones was given the keys to Rancho De La Luna and just ran amok with the dudes in CKY.

The totality of the CKY experience is perhaps best summarized by a quote from enigmatic comic book legend, author, and self-proclaimed magician, Alan Moore. “My experience of life is that it is not divided up into genres; it’s a horrifying, romantic, tragic, comical, science-fiction cowboy detective novel. You know, with a bit of pornography if you’re lucky.”

Margera observes that it was “a perfect storm of events” that led to CKY becoming a pretty popular name. “When it’s happening, you’re not paying attention. But once you get a couple of years under your belt, you realize, ‘Holy shit, man. That was lucky as hell that happened to us!’, ya’ know?”

“We’re feeling rather lucky,” Ginsburg agrees. “We’re not taking things for granted. We’re saturated in gratitude. It’s an incredibly humbled CKY, with a fire to last another twenty years. The point is to go play rock n’ roll and appreciate everybody else who does it, too. It’s a lucky job to have.”

@ckymusic?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Performer links.

• Date Fri, May 24, 2024
• Time 7:30 PM Doors 6:30 PM
• Ages All Ages to Enter, 21 & Over to Drink
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By ABC News | March 6, 2024

Cky announces 25th anniversary tour.

CKY is hitting the road in celebration of the band’s 25th anniversary.

The outing, dubbed the New Reason to Dream tour, kicks off May 2 in Savannah, Georgia, and concludes May 26 in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. Crobot will also be on the bill.

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit CKY.Soundrink.com .

CKY’s debut album, 1999’s Volume 1 , turned 25 in February. The record includes CKY’s signature single, “96 Quite Bitter Beings,” which was famously used in the Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 video game.

The current CKY lineup includes original members Chad I Ginsburg and Jess Margera , brother of Bam Margera . Founding singer Deron Miller left the group in 2011, and Ginsburg currently handles lead vocals.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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Tuesday 21 May 2024

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431 West 16th Street New York (NYC), NY, US

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Doors open: 07:00

Tour name: New Reason To Dream 2024 Tour

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Last time in New York (NYC): 5 years ago

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Biographies

CKY (formed in 1998) is an American alternative metal and experimental rock band, known for their outspoken nature and allegiance with members of TV show Jackass, the band hails from West Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Live reviews

CKY has been cranking up their intense metal for quite sometime now, and their fierce heavy sound seems to be as consistent as ever.

Guitarists, Deron Miller and Chad Ginsburg, have great dynamics when playing …

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What an excellent gig really upbeat rock music the band get right in with the fans really enjoyed listening to their new songs and from their album also supported by 2 other good bands Scorpion Child & Buffalo Summer

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Upcoming concerts for CKY

• Tuesday May 21, 2024 CKY Racket, New York (NYC)
• Wednesday May 22, 2024 CKY Underground Arts, Philadelphia
• Friday May 24, 2024 CKY Starland Ballroom, Sayreville
• Saturday May 25, 2024 CKY Sherman Theater, Stroudsburg

Related upcoming events

• Sunday June 09, 2024 Kaleido and Alien Ant Farm The Meadows, Brooklyn
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• Thursday August 29, 2024 Incubus and Coheed and Cambria Madison Square Garden, New York (NYC)
• Thursday September 05, 2024 Clutch, Rival Sons, and Fu Manchu Brooklyn Paramount, Brooklyn

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• May 8, 2024 Setlist

CKY Setlist at Cat's Cradle, Carrboro, NC, USA

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Tour: New Reason To Dream Tour statistics Add setlist

• Sink Into the Underground Play Video
• Attached at the Hip Play Video
• Rio Bravo Play Video
• Flesh Into Gear Play Video
• Escape From Hellview Play Video
• Replaceable Play Video
• Frenetic Amnesic Play Video
• Inhuman Creation Station Play Video
• Familiar Realm Play Video
• Head for a Breakdown Play Video
• Shock and Terror Play Video
• Plastic Plan Play Video
• Sporadic Movement Play Video
• Disengage the Simulator Play Video
• 96 Quite Bitter Beings Play Video
• Close Yet Far Play Video
• All My Friends Are Dead ( Turbonegro  cover) Play Video

Edits and Comments

14 activities (last edit by tenchimyo , 9 May 2024, 17:31 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

• Attached at the Hip
• Close Yet Far
• Escape From Hellview
• Flesh Into Gear
• Frenetic Amnesic
• Inhuman Creation Station
• Plastic Plan
• Sink Into the Underground
• Sporadic Movement
• 96 Quite Bitter Beings
• Disengage the Simulator
• Shock and Terror
• Head for a Breakdown
• Replaceable
• Familiar Realm
• All My Friends Are Dead by Turbonegro

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Cat's Cradle

• X-Cops Add time Add time
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CKY Gig Timeline

• May 06 2024 Hell @ The Masquerade Atlanta, GA, USA Add time Add time
• May 07 2024 The NorVa Norfolk, VA, USA Add time Add time
• May 08 2024 Cat's Cradle This Setlist Carrboro, NC, USA Add time Add time
• May 09 2024 Rams Head Live! Baltimore, MD, USA Start time: 9:00 PM 9:00 PM
• May 12 2024 Growlers Memphis, TN, USA Add time Add time

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<div style="text-align: center;" class="setlistImage"><a href="https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/cky/2024/cats-cradle-carrboro-nc-5ba9b7f0.html" title="CKY Setlist Cat&#039;s Cradle, Carrboro, NC, USA 2024, New Reason To Dream" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.setlist.fm/widgets/setlist-image-v1?id=5ba9b7f0" alt="CKY Setlist Cat&#039;s Cradle, Carrboro, NC, USA 2024, New Reason To Dream" style="border: 0;" /></a> <div><a href="https://www.setlist.fm/edit?setlist=5ba9b7f0&amp;step=song">Edit this setlist</a> | <a href="https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/cky-3d61547.html">More CKY setlists</a></div></div>

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Tour Update

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Friday, May 3rd, 2024 Doors open at 7:00pm Age Restriction 12+

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Alien Ant Farm and CKY European Tour 2024: Where are they playing in the UK and ticketing detail

Known for their smash hit cover of “Smooth Criminal,” Alien Ant Farm are touring the UK with CKY and is helping the Music Venue Trust in the process

We thought at NationalWorld we were having some form of flashbacks when the news came into our inbox that two of the 00s cult-like bands were set to tour Europe, including a series of UK dates. But no - Alien Ant Farm and CKY are teaming up for a series of UK dates in November 2024.

Their UK dates will support the Music Venue Trust's £1 donation initiative to help grassroots music venues, with Alien Ant Farm lead singer Dryden Mitchell admitting his fondness for touring this side of the Atlantic: "We’ve always loved our UK tours! For over 20 years we have been able to play shows all around our “home away from home” and we’re excited to see old friends and fans on this run.” 

“We’ve watched CKY as fans through the years but have never had the pleasure to meet and tour with them. We think this is a proper nice fit.”

“As a band, we have seen the work that Music Venue Trust are doing for grassroots venues across the UK and were inspired to lend our support. We are honoured to be the first American bands to be involved in this initiative and would urge other artists who enjoy playing in the UK to follow suit. Personally, my favourite. Don’t tell the States."

Alien Ant Farm is known to many for their appearances on the UK singles chart, with their cover of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” for casual fans perhaps their best-known song, while the group also scored hits with “ Movies ” and “ Attitude ” from their platinum-selling 2001 album, “Anthology.”

Fans of “ Jackass ” will no doubt be familiar with CKY; the group features Jess Margera , the older brother of Bam Margera , and their music was a constant feature in the early years of the hit MTV show. The band also lent their name to Bam’s series of skateboarding videos - a precursor to their involvement in the “Jackass” franchise.

Where are Alien Ant Farm and CKY touring in the United Kingdom?

• November 09 2024: Hall by the Sea - Dreamland, Margate
• November 10 2024: 1865, Southampton
• November 12 2024: O2 Academy Bristol, Bristol
• November 13 2024: Foundry, Torquay
• November 15 2024: Epic Studios, Norwich
• November 16 2024: O2 Institute, Birmingham
• November 17 2024: Rock City, Nottingham
• November 18 2024: NX, Newcastle upon Tyne
• November 20 2024: Galvanizers SWG3, Glasgow
• November 21 2024: O2 Ritz, Manchester
• November 22 2024: Nightrain, Bradford
• November 23 2024: Patti Pavilion, Swansea
• November 24 2024: O2 Forum, London

Where can I get tickets to see Alien Ant Farm and CKY touring the United Kingdom?

O2 priority presale information.

Those with access to O2 Priority can purchase tickets to shows in Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and London from today. Visit the O2 Priority app for more details and to pick up your tickets before they go on general sale.

For those who don’t have presale access, tickets go on general sale from 10am on May 2 2024 through Ticketweb and Ticketmaster .

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As Kentucky Derby Nears, Last Year’s Deaths Cast Long Shadow

The breakdown of 12 horses in the days surrounding the celebrated race a year ago has led to existential questions about the sport and its future.

Last year at Churchill Downs, seven horses died during the week of the Kentucky Derby, two of them in races in the hours leading up to the main event. Credit... Jon Cherry for The New York Times

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By Joe Drape and Melissa Hoppert

Joe Drape reported from Louisville, Ky., and Lexington, Ky., and Melissa Hoppert from New York.

• May 2, 2024

The Kentucky Derby has been run through two World Wars, the Great Depression, civil rights unrest and, most recently, a life-paralyzing pandemic. Now, on the 150th anniversary of America’s most famous race, the Sport of Kings faces another formidable foe: itself.

Last year, beneath Churchill Downs’s iconic twin spires, seven horses died during the week of the showpiece event — two of them in races in the hours leading up to the Derby. In the days after, five more sustained fatal injuries, prompting Churchill officials to move their races to another Kentucky racetrack.

It got worse. A colt trained by the sport’s most recognized and controversial trainer, Bob Baffert, died at Pimlico Race Course hours before Mr. Baffert saddled the winner of the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown. Two more horses not trained by Mr. Baffert died in races surrounding the Belmont Stakes, the third leg, in June.

At the historic Saratoga Race Course in New York, 13 horses died while racing and training at the sport’s signature summer meet, including two who seemed poised to win their races before breaking down near the finish line on nationally televised broadcasts.

Over the past 12 months, The New York Times analyzed confidential documents and covert recordings made by law enforcement, and obtained exclusive interviews as part of an investigation into why so many horses, supposedly in peak physical condition, were breaking down so frequently. In the documentary “ The New York Times Presents: Broken Horses ,” now streaming on Hulu, The Times found that reckless breeding and doping practices, compromised veterinarians and trainers, and decades-long resistance to changes that could save horses lives have placed a multibillion-dollar ecosystem in peril and put the social acceptability of one of America’s oldest sports at risk.

“There’s a genuine feeling that this is the inflection point, and if we don’t act, it may be too late,” said Lisa Lazarus, the chief executive of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, or HISA, the federal agency that now regulates the sport.

In Louisville, Ky., on Saturday, racing officials and horse lovers will hold their collective breath and hope that every horse competing gets around the track safely. To avoid last year’s calamity, an army of veterinarians will pore over months of medical records with an assist from artificial intelligence and scrutinize horses each morning with the critical eye of a diamond jeweler. Data from high-tech motion sensors will monitor horses, and an old-fashioned “bucket brigade” as well as state-of-the-art equipment will be dispatched frequently to pick rocks from the racetrack that authorities determined could have played a part in last year’s cluster of deaths.

Saffie Joseph Jr., who was suspended by Churchill last year after two horses he trained collapsed and died ahead of the Derby, will have a horse in the race. He was reinstated when the necropsies of those horses were inconclusive.

“They were trying times,” Mr. Joseph said. “We let the process play out. We were cleared as we knew we would be.”

HISA investigated the deaths at Churchill and Saratoga and concluded that several factors, including frequency of high-intensity exercise, likely contributed. No illegal drugs were detected in the horses who died. The majority of the injuries involved a fetlock joint. Some of the horses who died received corticosteroid injections in their joints within 30 days of racing. That is currently allowed, although HISA has proposed prohibiting those injections within 30 days.

But racing’s problems go far beyond what happened last year. An F.B.I. investigation that began in 2015 produced nearly three years of wiretaps that provided a soundtrack for a deadly doping ring that stretched from Florida to New Jersey. At its center was a veterinarian and drug compounder named Dr. Seth Fishman, who bragged on wiretaps about “having a relationship with top trainers and top owners” in the horse racing world. He knew what he was doing and, in at least one case, wanted to make sure his clients understood that they were breaking the rules.

“What I’m trying to say is anytime you give something to a horse, that’s doping. So don’t kid yourself,” Dr. Fishman said to one, as heard in a wiretap.

The investigation exposed the weaknesses in American testing labs. After being tipped by an informant that some horses had recently been doped, an F.B.I. agent posing as a New Jersey racing official pulled samples from a group of horses and sent them to a Hong Kong laboratory considered one of the finest in the world. Evidence of illegal blood doping was detected.

The doping was often deadly. U.S. attorneys in the Southern District of New York said their three-year investigation had produced evidence that at least 20 horses perished because they were given illegal drugs by those involved in the ring.

“Nobody believed that anybody was going to jail for this behavior,” said Shaun Richards, the F.B.I. agent in charge of the investigation. But more than 30 trainers, veterinarians and drug salespeople either pleaded or were found guilty and went to jail.

One of those now in prison is the trainer Jason Servis , who in 2019 appeared to have won the Derby, but his horse, Maximum Security, was disqualified shortly after the race when officials determined that he interfered with other horses.

For the third straight year, the Derby will be run without a horse trained by Mr. Baffert. In 2021, his colt Medina Spirit won the Derby but subsequently was disqualified after testing positive for betamethasone, a potent corticosteroid used to reduce pain and inflammation. Churchill Downs barred him from its racetracks for two years and, over the summer, extended the suspension through 2024.

Mr. Baffert’s horses have won the Derby six times, and he has been named champion trainer four times. He is third on the career earnings list with more than $355 million in purses. Mr. Baffert also has a lengthy record of rule violations. According to regulators’ records, horses trained by him have failed 30 drug tests over four decades — most notably Medina Spirit, who died after a workout at a California racetrack five months after running the Derby. Since 2000, at least 77 horses have died under his care, according to data from the California Horse Racing Board.

“We decided to continue Bob Baffert’s suspension for another year because he hasn’t accepted responsibility for what happened,” Bill Carstanjen, chief executive of Churchill Downs Inc., said of the positive test in the Derby. “It’s about the game and the product as a whole, and it’s about ensuring to the public that they can rely on what they see being fair and safe. The rules have to apply to everybody.”

Mr. Baffert returned to the Triple Crown trail last year to win the Preakness Stakes with National Treasure in Baltimore. Hours before, however, another one of his colts, Havnameltdown, sustained a fatal injury during a race and was euthanized on the track.

The Times had two veterinarians, Dr. Sheila Lyons and Dr. Kate Papp, independently review the records related to the 2023 deaths at Churchill Downs and Pimlico. Dr. Lyons said the necropsies from Churchill were illuminating but incomplete because they lacked medication and treatment histories of each horse.

“What I found was that these horses had significant pre-existing injury, not only on the limb that broke down, but in other limbs as well,” Dr. Lyons said. “We don’t even know whether these horses were running with legal therapeutic medications.”

In the case of Havnameltdown, Dr. Lyons and Dr. Papp agreed that his death could have been prevented with vigilant veterinarian care by both his private veterinarian as well as regulatory ones in charge of ensuring a horse is sound before being allowed to race. Havnameltdown had lesions in each fetlock, which occur when the cartilage has worn away from repetitive injury.

“He didn’t only have it in the leg where this fracture occurred, this horse had it in all four limbs,” Dr. Lyons said. “This is easily diagnosed, X-ray equipment in every track practicing vet’s vehicle, it would take 10 minutes.”

Dr. Lyons said regulatory veterinarians noted abnormal findings in the colt’s range of motion and gait but ultimately concluded the horse was healthy enough to race. In addition, Havnameltdown had corticosteroids and hyaluronic acid — a pain reliever and an anti-inflammatory — injected in both hocks and both stifles a month before his last race. Joint injections are permitted by HISA up to 14 days before a race.

“Havnameltdown should not have been racing that day. Absolutely not, under any circumstances,” Dr. Papp said, based on her review of the necropsy results. “Baffert is the main caretaker for this horse. In my opinion, he is the responsible party for what happened.”

In an emailed statement, Mr. Baffert’s lawyer, Clark Brewster, said: “He entrusts the medical evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of the horses to his veterinarians and relies on their expertise. Baffert cares deeply for the horses under his care and is fully committed to their health, safety and general welfare.”

In August 2023, Mr. Baffert’s longtime veterinarian, Dr. Vince Baker, was placed on four years’ probation by the California Veterinary Medical Board for administering “dangerous drugs” to racehorses — including Medina Spirit — “at the request of their trainers without medical examinations or necessity.”

This will be the first Derby to fall under HISA’s antidoping and medication control program, which went into effect on May 22 — two days after Havnameltdown died. HISA has been tasked with enforcing uniform safety and medication rules in thoroughbred racing in the United States but has faced an uphill battle since it was established by Congress in 2020, taking over from state regulators.

Yet more than 50,000 samples were collected from 21,750 horses in 2023, resulting in 246 positive tests and the identification of 58 banned substances. The authority searched 141 barns across 38 tracks and recovered five different banned substances, resulting in 11 possession cases. An anonymous tip line received 122 calls, with more than 40 leading to an investigation.

“Are we ahead of the curve now? Probably not,” Ms. Lazarus said of being able to detect performance-enhancing drugs. “But we have a good chance at getting there.”

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association has acknowledged that horse racing has an image problem and recently started a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign called Safety Runs First that will be shown throughout the Triple Crown.

One change that HISA celebrated was its use of six drug-testing laboratories to deliver uniformity and faster turnaround times. The University of Kentucky’s Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, however, was recently removed because of alleged personnel and quality issues. The university and HISA would not comment while investigations are underway.

The rate of fatal injury increased slightly in 2023, to 1.32 per 1,000 starts, from 1.25 in 2022, which was the lowest rate since 2009, when the Jockey Club started the database. HISA said that racetracks under its jurisdiction had 1.23 fatalities per 1,000 starts. (Texas, Louisiana, West Virginia and Nebraska have pushed back against HISA regulation and are not covered.) Neither data set includes training fatalities.

Ms. Lazarus said that by 2025, the authority hoped to have a public database that logged racing and training fatalities as they happened, like the ones kept by California and New York. She also said HISA was working to standardize necropsy procedures.

She acknowledges there are limits to HISA’s authority, which covers horses that have recorded a timed workout at the racetrack. Breeding and sales remain largely unregulated, and practices like repeated breeding of unsound horses, corrective surgeries and drug use are believed to be widespread. The three major thoroughbred sales companies recently announced that starting July 1 they will strengthen their drug policy to more closely align with HISA’s. Yet the enforcement of such a policy would be up to the companies, and no details have been provided.

Arthur Hancock III, who along with his wife, Staci, has campaigned for reform since the 1990s, says the authority must succeed. In 2013, the couple formed the Water Hay Oats Alliance to get drugs out of racing, growing it to more than 1,800 industry members who shamed horsemen, veterinarians, politicians and regulators into treating thoroughbreds as athletes rather than commodities.

“There is a new sheriff in town, and he means business,” Mr. Hancock, a fourth-generation breeder, said of HISA. “If we don’t get rid of the drugs and thugs, they’re going to get rid of us.”

Joe Drape is a Times reporter writing about how the intersection of money, power and sports impacts our culture. More about Joe Drape

Melissa Hoppert , a deputy editor for live coverage, joined The Times in 2006. She helped create the horse racing blog The Rail and has directed coverage of the N.F.L. and college sports. More about Melissa Hoppert

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