Second-quarter fatality rate at HISA tracks cut in half from last year

The racing fatality rate for Thoroughbreds at racetracks under the jurisdiction of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority was 0.76 per thousand starts in the second quarter of 2024, according to figures released by HISA on Friday.

The 2024 second-quarter rate was roughly half of the 1.48 rate in the second quarter of 2023, HISA said in a release. HISA’s drug-testing and medication control program began in May of 2023, while its safety rules went into effect in the summer of 2022.

“Thoroughbred racing is consistently getting safer with HISA’s involvement and the commitment of our racing stakeholders, especially the horsemen and veterinarians who work so diligently under HISA to keep horses safe,” said Lisa Lazarus, HISA’s chief executive, in a release. “Today’s metrics release shows tremendous progress towards preserving and improving a cherished sport, and all participating stakeholders should be proud of the progress we have made by working together.”

:: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets.

The total number of fatalities from racing in the second quarter was 36 from 46,031 starts, HISA said in a report. In the first quarter of this year, there were 31 fatalities from 36,923 starts, for a rate of 0.80. Fatalities are deaths that occur within 72 hours of a Thoroughbred suffering an injury in a race.

HISA said in its report that it plans to publish training fatalities for 2024 at tracks under its jurisdiction in its full-year report, to be issued in the first quarter of 2025. While racing has been tracking racing fatalities for 15 years, training fatalities have not yet been recorded nationwide in Thoroughbred racing.

The report also contained fatality rates for tracks that are not under HISA’s jurisdiction due to either court injunctions or an unwillingness to comply with HISA’s regulations. Tracks in Louisiana in the second quarter had a fatality rate of 1.54 per thousand starts, while Charles Town in West Virginia had a fatality rate of 2.98 per thousand starts. In Texas, Sam Houston Race Park had a fatality rate of 1.15 per thousand starts.

HISA began reporting quarterly fatality rates at the start of this year. For the past 15 years, the administrators of the Equine Injury Database, an industry-run project that collects data on racing fatalities, have published the rates on an annual basis.

Since 2009, the annual fatality rate has dropped from 2.00 per thousand starts to 1.32 in 2023, a 34 percent decline, according to EID data. Many regulators have credited tightened medication rules, increased veterinary scrutiny, and advances in technology for the decline.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.