Speaking via videoconference during the Arizona Racing Commission meeting on February 9, Rillito Park General Manager Mike Weiss said he was “excited” by the first use of the StrideSAFE sensors this winter at the Tucson, Ariz., racetrack.
Sensors that slide into the saddle fabric to detect small changes in the horse’s gait at high speeds were used with both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses when the race started last week. According to Sue Gale, chief veterinarian for the state’s Department of Games, the system identified three to four runners at risk.
She told the commissioners that those who train those horses are advised to check their horses.
She added that the track had no fatalities over two race days last week.
Gale said a meeting was scheduled to clarify the role of sensors. According to Weiss, horses identified as at risk, indicated by the sensor in red, will not automatically be included in the vet’s list, a group of horses that are ineligible for running.
The New York Racing Association conducted a StrideSAFE study of 6,600 people starting a Thoroughbred race in 2022 and in each individual participating in the study, 90% of all serious injuries were detected.
Gale told the commissioners that the state’s equine death rate, which has consistently been above the national average, has fallen over the past year. A track improvement project January 19-22 at Lawn heavenperformed after horses suffered soft tissue injuries there, drew “generally positive comments” from riders.
