Record Low in 2019 for Equine Fatalities in Racing

Despite a rash of breakdowns at Santa Anita Park, the overall number of catastrophic injuries during racing fell 8.9% in 2019 compared with 2018. 

The equine fatality rate of 1.53 per 1,000 starts is the safest year on record in the 11 years The Jockey Club Equine Injury Database has tracked such incidents in the United States and Canada. The EID tracks equine fatalities during racing, which allows wide participation and facilitates comparison from year to year.

Based on the 2019 data, 99.84% of flat racing starts at the racetracks participating in the EID were completed without a fatality. The overall drop in the risk of fatal injury from 2009-19 was 23.5%.

"The 23.5% reduction in fatal injuries since 2009 indicates that the Thoroughbred industry's commitment to equine safety is paying dividends," said Kristin Werner, the senior counsel of The Jockey Club.

Although many factors are associated with racing fatalities, the annual summaries traditionally have been prepared by surface type. The incidence of fatality per 1,000 starts by racing surface for 2019 (listed below) showed a big reduction on dirt, though turf racing had a spike—raising concern.

• Dirt, 1.60: On dirt surfaces, there was a 14.2% decrease in risk of fatal injury from 2018 to 2019 (statistically significant P=0.04). Since 2009, on dirt, there has been a 24.1% drop in the risk of fatal injury (statistically significant P<0.001).
• Turf, 1.56: Turf surfaces had a 30% increase in the risk of fatal injury from 2018 to 2019 (not statistically significant). Since 2009, on turf there has been a 19.6% drop in the risk of fatal injury (not statistically significant).
• Synthetic, 0.93: The rate of fatality in 2019 dropped below 1.0 for the first time since annual summaries were first reported in 2009. Synthetic surfaces saw a 24% decrease in the risk of fatal injury from 2018 to 2019 (not statistically significant). Since 2009, on synthetic, there has been a 37% drop in the risk of fatal injury (statistically significant P=0.04).

"Although the incidence of racing fatalities on dirt surfaces reached an all-time low in 2019 of 1.60, the results on turf increased from 1.20 in 2018 to 1.56 in 2019. The number of starts on turf has been trending upward, and this increase in fatalities likely indicates a set of risk factors unique to turf racing may be driving the results," said Dr. Tim Parkin, a professor of veterinary epidemiology at the University of Glasgow. "Understanding the factors that contribute to increased risk of fatality is a continuous pursuit, one that would benefit tremendously from reporting data on injuries to horses that occur during morning training hours." 

CLICK TO VIEW: Table Depicting Updated Statistical Data Pertaining to Surface, Distance, and Age

Werner noted that such data would assist in finding ways to reduce injuries, a position Parkin also has advocated.

"Capturing injury data from morning training hours at racetracks as well as data related to treatments and procedures would greatly improve the precision of our risk models, increasing the ability of racetrack personnel to identify horses at risk even before they hit the entry box," Werner said.

Since March 2012, racetracks have been able to voluntarily publish their statistics from the EID on The Jockey Club website. The 27 tracks that self-reported in 2019 had about the same incidence of fatality (1.53) than non-self-published (1.52) across all surfaces. Throughout the course of 2020, 111 racetracks accounting for approximately 99% of flat racing days are expected to contribute data to the EID.

The problems at Santa Anita are documented in the numbers, up to 3.01 per 1,000 starts after a 2018 season of 2.04 per 1,000 starts. Though Santa Anita had its struggles, the track did see improvements throughout the year. After Santa Anita closed to address the rash of breakdowns at the winter/spring meet and reopened March 29 with new safety rules in place, the catastrophic injury rate was 2.16, less than half the rate at the beginning of the meet.

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The New York Racing Association tracks had impressive numbers. From 217 race days on its year-round calendar of Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course, NYRA tracks had just 1.14 fatalities per 1,000 starts in 2019. Churchill Downs, which doesn't make its numbers public through the EID, saw improvement from 2018 to 2019.

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Racetracks accredited by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Safety and Integrity Alliance had a lower incidence of fatality per 1,000 starts compared with non-accredited tracks across all surfaces (1.46 vs.1.59). This difference was not statistically significant. 

Races shorter than six furlongs have consistently been associated with the greatest incidence of racing fatality. In addition, 2-year-olds again had the lowest rate of catastrophic injuries.

The EID statistics are based on injuries that resulted in fatalities within 72 hours from the date of the race. The statistics are for official Thoroughbred races only and exclude steeplechase races. Summary statistics for the EID are subject to change due to a number of considerations, including timeliness in reporting.

The list of racetracks participating in the Equine Injury Database and detailed statistics from those tracks that voluntarily publish their results can be found here.