California reports equine fatality data for 2018-19 fiscal year

CYPRESS, Calif. – California racing officials recorded 144 fatalities at state racetracks in the fiscal year ending June 30, the second-lowest figure since necropsy recordkeeping began in 1990, according to California equine medical director Rick Arthur.

The lowest number of fatalities since 1990 – 138 – occurred in the 2017-18 fiscal year, ending June 30, 2018.

The most recent figures were compiled in a year in which a series of equine fatalities at Santa Anita in February and March led to international attention regarding equine safety and a three-week gap in racing while the main track underwent inspection and renovation.

In subsequent months, the racing board implemented several policy changes to reduce medication administered to horses, and impaneled a group of veterinarians and stewards to review the medical, training, and veterinary records of horses entered to race in an effort to curtail the number of fatalities. The latter change was done at the behest of Gov. Gavin Newsom.

More expansive data regarding fatalities in the most recent fiscal year is scheduled to be part of the racing board’s annual report, which is typically published early in the year. Fatalities include horses lost to injury in racing or training, or a variety of illnesses, at racetracks and training centers under the authority of the racing board.

“There has been a 50 percent reduction in fatalities in California over the last 10 years,” Arthur told the California Horse Racing Board on Thursday.

“Horse safety has been a major focus of this board and certainly of mine.”

Arthur said that through November there have been 58 fatalities at California tracks since July 1 compared to 67 during a similar period in 2018. In November, there were 11 fatalities compared to 19 in 2018, he said.

The racing board is preparing a report on the fatalities that occurred at Santa Anita earlier this year. The report was scheduled to be released this month, but publication has been delayed until January, according to racing board executive director Rick Baedeker.

Arthur recently traveled to veterinary conferences in Hong Kong and Denver and said the changes in California have caught international attention.

“Santa Anita, and the resulting unprecedented changes going on in California and elsewhere in the United States, is on everyone’s mind,” he said. “It is an international issue. It behooves all of us to share strategy with international colleagues to improve horse safety.”

Last spring, the Los Angeles County District Attorney formed a task force to investigate the horse fatalities at Santa Anita “to determine whether unlawful conduct or conditions affected the welfare and safety of horses at Santa Anita,” according to a statement published at the time.

Arthur said that investigation is ongoing.

Arthur told the racing board that greater resources are needed for additional drug testing at the state’s official laboratory at UC-Davis and the additional hiring of more veterinarians for horse inspection.

“Integrity and safety cost money,” Arthur said. “Our goal is to understand what happened to make racing safer.”