Equestrian mortality rates at facilities regulated by the California Horse Racing Board fall to 71 in 2021, the lowest number in the state in 10 years according to data posted on CHRB website.
This represents a 26% drop from last year and a nearly 45% drop from 2019 as the death toll spiked in Santa Anita . Park at the beginning of the year led to public outcry and scrutiny from anti-racing groups. California has implemented numerous equine health and safety measures since that time, either through so-called “rule” rail regulations or through the CHRB regulation.
Among the changes are drug restrictions, increased veterinary testing and supervision, entrance review boards and continuing education programs for trainers. Racing culture has also adapted to put horse safety first.
“I think every stakeholder in California understands that animal welfare is paramount. It has to be because of the state we live in and because it’s what it is,” said Scott Chaney, executive director of CHRB. the right thing to do”.
The CHRB tracks horse deaths in race, training, and a category the governing body calls “other,” in which horses that have succumbed to a stable accident or illness are classified. Few regulators count all of those deaths.
Chaney said California’s fatality-per-start rate is one of the best in the country, if not at the top, except for a state that has the upper hand in Standardbred racing, which is safer than racing. Thoroughbred and Quarter Horses. Some governing bodies and racetracks in other parts of the country do not make their fatality data public.
He noted that 20 horses died last year in California in the race from more than 31,500 starts, which in total includes races for Thoroughbreds, Precious Horses and Standard Horses.
Deaths from racing, training and “other things” all fell to the lowest level in CHRB data dating back to 2012, when 238 horses died.
Last year, 39 horses died at CHRB facilities from musculoskeletal injuries and 32 from non-musculoskeletal diseases, including the 2021 Kentucky race winner presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) Medina Spirit , who collapsed and died after a workout on December 6. Chaney said that the findings from a toxicology and necrosis research report on his death are expected to take place within within a month.
Golden Gate Field led the state in deaths last year with 26, ahead of Santa Anita with 21. These two tracks are open for almost year-round training with high volumes of horses and longer runs than other racecourses in the state. Golden Gate has run more than 1,100 races in 2021 with 4 racing deaths. It also remains open for training during fairs on the Northern California line.
Racing at the Golden Gate Fields
Golden Gate has had only a few more fatalities compared to 2020, while other racetracks have more significant reductions. Most Golden Gate horse deaths are not due to racing but during training or are “other” type landing deaths.
“I am hoping and I expect that to change somewhat due to a regulation that just came into effect on January 1, and that is that private veterinarians will also check before they go to work, That’s a new requirement for us,” said Chaney. “So I think really focusing on injury training is something we really need to focus on.”
David Duggan, general manager and vice president of Golden Gate Fields, described some of the “other” deaths as unusual incidents.
Golden Gate, which installed the Tapeta track in 2007, is the only track left in the state with a synthetic surface. Synthetic stains are statistically safer based on long-term data in the Jockey Club Horse Injury Database.
On March 4 of last year, anti-racing protesters disrupted the Golden Gate race by placing on the surface of the Golden Gate race track, leading to the cancellation of the first race of the day and causing six races to take place. other delayed more than six hours. The protesters claimed the demonstration was in response to the high number of dead horses at the racetrack.
So far, Golden Gate has had three deaths in 2022, two from racing and one in the “other” category.
The Northern California Circuit was criticized by the CHRB during last month’s CHRB meeting after five horses died in November. Three of the seven CHRB commissioners only wanted to grant Golden Gate a license three months before the review. Finally, Golden Gate was granted a six-month standard license.
The CHRB holds its monthly meeting on January 20, although the Golden Gate is not a topic on the agenda. The CHRB meeting called for an update from California Thoroughbred Trainers executive Alan Balch, who heads a crash prevention task force in the state.
Balch declined to comment on January 18 for his upcoming remarks.
Methods to reduce shoulder injuries and sudden deaths are likely to be topics to be addressed by the task force and the CHRB in the coming year.
