'It wouldn't be far-fetched for someone to put the sport's future on a ballot' - crisis time Stateside

The headlines could not have been more damning for racing in the United States.

'At Churchill Downs, Humans Failed the Horses Again' were the words in the New York Times after last month's Kentucky Derby. The Washington Post went with 'Dark week at Churchill Downs sparks questions about horse racing's future', while the Associated Press headlined a columnist's thoughts with 'Stench of death overwhelms Kentucky Derby'.

Seven horses had died at Churchill Downs in little more than a week in the build-up to the biggest race in the US, a rare time when racing has the eyes of the sporting world on it given the race – watched this year by 14.8 million on NBC – is second only to the Super Bowl when it comes to American sporting occasions.