PHOENIX — After witnessing an uptick in horse fatalities, Phoenix racetrack Turf Paradise announced new safety protocols that it says has led to a 40% drop in the deaths.

Changes to the stop-race protocol have been called for by those involved in a race Nov. 9 at Chelmsford in which horses narrowly avoided colliding with a set of starting stalls left stranded on ...

The protocol calls for a standardized "return to ride" authorization form. "Officially, I guess I've had two or three concussions," Hall of Fame jockey and Jockeys' Guild chairman John Velazquez said.