Welfare and Safety summit to be held in June

The Jockey Club and the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation will hold the seventh Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit on June 28 in Lexington, Ky. The summit brings together a cross section of the breeding, racing, and veterinary communities to discuss improvements in racehorse and rider safety.

The summit will be held in the Keeneland sales pavilion and is open to the public; a live webcast also will be available. A formal agenda and a list of speakers will be announced at a later date.

“This year, we plan to bring back the summit committee meetings the day after the summit, as we have in the past with the first few editions,” said Edward L. Bowen, president of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. “This will help keep ideas fresh and keep committee members focused on initiatives to improve the welfare and safety of our equine and human athletes.”

Among the major accomplishments that have evolved from the previous six summits are the Equine Injury Database; the Jockey Injury Database; the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, which provides science-based testing of racing surfaces to enhance safety for horse and rider; a uniform trainer test and study guide; and the publication of stallion durability statistics.