Equine Fatalities Continue Decline in California in '22

Equine fatalities in California Horse Racing Board-regulated facilities declined nearly 10% in 2022, CHRB executive director Scott Chaney told board members during its regular monthly meeting Jan. 19.

Chaney said fatalities among all breeds dipped from 71 in 2021 to 64 last year at the state's racetracks and training centers, with 30 of those fatalities classified as musculoskeletal in nature and the other 24 caused by accidents and illnesses such as colic and sudden deaths. Fifty of the 64 deaths involved Thoroughbreds.

Since 2019, when Santa Anita Park had a spike of fatalities in the early part of the year, "total catastrophic injuries have decreased 50%," Chaney said. 

Handle was down 6% in 2022, he said Thursday.

During his remarks that followed Chaney's, CHRB equine medical director Jeff Blea praised horsemen, track maintenance crews, and track operators for their commitment to safety during a wet winter in California that has caused some racing cancellations.

Also during Thursday's meeting, commissioners delayed assigning late-August race dates in Northern California amid conflict between Humboldt County Fair in Ferndale and Golden Gate Fields. The two tracks have been at odds over race dates and financial arrangements. There have been overlaps of their meets in the past.

Without a board meeting next month, the CHRB is likely to revisit the allocation of these summer dates at its March 16 meeting. Vice-chair Oscar Gonzalez offered to convene an informal meeting in February and visit Ferndale to "try to figure this out."