How one group plans to enhance horse racing security

FEDERAL REGULATION IS making a measurable affect on equine security in U.S. thoroughbred racing, whilst horse fatalities and chronic regional disparities proceed to plague the game.

Based on the Horseracing Integrity and Security Authority’s (HISA) 2024 Annual Metrics Report, the fatality fee on the tracks beneath its jurisdiction fell to 0.90 per 1,000 begins final yr – a 27 % drop from 2023. HISA mentioned that determine marks the bottom fatality fee for the reason that business started monitoring such knowledge in 2009, when it stood at 2.0 per 1,000 begins.

“HISA has carried out a whole lot of work in bringing everyone alongside and making a proof of idea that federal laws could be efficient, that they are often good for the contributors within the business, not solely the horses, however the individuals as nicely,” mentioned Chelsea Perez, senior program supervisor for equine safety at Humane World for Animals, a worldwide non-profit specializing in animal welfare.

The information affords each progress and perspective.

Whereas the decline means that HISA’s federal oversight could also be serving to cut back deaths on the observe, the game nonetheless carries inherent threat – and the broader nationwide image stays bifurcated.

Tracks within the states the place thoroughbred racing isn’t regulated by HISA recorded practically double the variety of fatalities: 1.76 per 1,000 begins. The disparity factors to a fractured business, the place HISA’s uniform security requirements apply solely to 47 venues in 19 states, whereas others function beneath a patchwork of state legal guidelines and ranging protocols. The states with vital thoroughbred racing operations exterior HISA jurisdiction are Louisiana, Texas, West Virginia and Nebraska.

The report contains knowledge on training-related equine deaths, which had by no means been compiled on a nationwide degree. In 2024, horses at HISA-regulated tracks died at a fee of 0.50 per 1,000 timed exercises.

HISA counted any horse that died or was euthanized inside 72 hours of a race or timed exercise as a result of accidents sustained on the observe.

HISA’s jurisdiction contains lots of the sport’s highest-profile venues, together with Churchill Downs, Pimlico, and Saratoga – the hosts of this yr’s Triple Crown races. The authority was created by an act of Congress and operates beneath the supervision of the Federal Commerce Fee. Launched in July 2022, HISA launched new requirements for observe surfaces, limits on crop use by jockeys, enhanced coaching necessities, uniform protocols governing how medication are administered to horses, and a nationwide drug-testing coverage.

A number of states and a few horse breeders have resisted federal regulation, with Texas going as far as to ban interstate simulcasting of its races to remain out of the attain of the federal authorities. Lawsuits difficult HISA’s authority are making their means by means of the courts with, at instances, conflicting outcomes. They argue that though HISA is remitted by Congress and overseen by the FTC, it’s a non-public group with no authority to wield federal energy.

The authorized battle might finally be determined by the U.S. Supreme Courtroom. The Fifth Circuit Courtroom of Appeals has dominated towards the federal racing authority. In the meantime, judges within the Sixth Circuit have dominated in favor of the authority.

HISA’s regulatory attain will stay restricted till the authorized dispute is resolved. “Considered one of our largest considerations is that now this resistance that exists is making a two-tiered system the place the individuals who adhere to HISA protocols are saving horse lives, and the individuals who do not are creating harmful conditions,” Perez mentioned.

HISA’s newest report arrived amid lingering concern over horse racing’s public picture and dedication to reform. For many years, the game has been shedding followers due to the proliferation of betting alternatives elsewhere, in addition to rising concern concerning the deadly injury the game inflicts on horses.

In 2023, Churchill Downs noticed 12 horse deaths over simply 5 weeks, together with two on the Kentucky Derby undercard. Saratoga additionally suffered 13 racing-related fatalities, together with one other within the barn space – episodes that reignited scrutiny and criticism from animal welfare teams and followers alike.

Horseracing Wrongs, a non-profit that tracks horse deaths and goals to abolish the game, documented 850 racehorse deaths at tracks across the nation in 2024. That quantity doesn’t embrace horses euthanized off-site, people who die on the nation’s 200 non-public coaching amenities, and people in states that share solely restricted info. Total, the group estimates that as many as 2,000 racehorses perish annually.

“Demise, or not less than a sure degree of it, is constructed into the horse racing system. Killing is inevitable,” mentioned Patrick Battuello, founder and president of the group. “So, my tackle HISA is, are issues getting marginally higher? Maybe.”

To know extra about what these numbers imply and the way HISA sees its function evolving, we spoke with the group’s CEO Lisa Lazarus. Beneath is our dialog, edited for readability and size.

Your newest report reveals a record-low fatality fee at HISA tracks. What do you attribute this enchancment to most immediately?

Most likely a very powerful issue is the buy-in we have gotten from the overwhelming majority of stakeholders. House owners, trainers, jockeys, veterinarians, coming collectively and actually prioritizing an ethos of security. We’ve a variety of guidelines that have been applied after we launched our racetrack security program after which our anti-doping program. These guidelines and laws actually assist to decrease the danger of horses having a fatality. The opposite piece that I believe is vital is that we’re leveraging a ton of knowledge that’s equipped to us each day. We recover from 5,000 veterinary data into our system every day. That enables us to see what a few of the patterns are and the place a few of the downside areas are.

What are the most important elements that put race horses in danger?

The No. 1 issue is horses with preexisting accidents, that ought to by no means get to the beginning gate however by some means are missed. No. 2 is an inconsistent floor. It is about wanting the observe to really feel the identical at the beginning of the race as on the finish of the race, as a result of it is when you’ve gotten inconsistency that horses battle. Turf and synthetic surfaces are safer than dust, however dust could be very secure. The principle subject is consistency of the floor. The third factor is the anti-doping program.

HISA’s new coaching fatality knowledge is the primary of its sort. Why was it vital to start monitoring and reporting these figures?

It would not matter if the horse is racing or the horse is coaching. That horse is our accountability. We felt if we have been going to genuinely and sincerely deal with horse accidents and horse fatalities, we had to have a look at all the actions that might doubtlessly put a horse in danger.

Regardless of the progress at HISA-regulated tracks, the fatality fee at non-HISA tracks stays a lot greater. What could be carried out to convey these venues beneath your regulatory regime?

It is actually a authorized query. Two of the principle states that aren’t beneath our jurisdiction, succeeded in getting an injunction to keep away from HISA’s regulation. That case has gone by means of the appeals courts and is now heading to the Supreme Courtroom. So in the end, the Supreme Courtroom will decide on whether or not or not HISA is constitutional. And whether it is, as I presume will probably be, then these states might want to come beneath HISA’s authority.

Public confidence within the sport stays shaken. Do you consider HISA will help rebuild belief with followers?

I consider we have already began to. And we’re beginning to see some encouraging indicators. For instance, a racing consortium simply launched with (music artists) Lil Wayne and Little Yachty and some different entertainers they usually reached out to us and mentioned, , one of many explanation why we will enter the game now’s that we be ok with its regulatory construction and we felt assured that there is not a whole lot of dishonest taking place and that horses are being taken care of. That is only one apparent instance. Any variety of individuals have reached out to me to say they’d left the game for a interval, however they’ve come again now as a result of they’re seeing HISA’s progress.

Waiting for the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown season, what measures are in place to make sure horse security on racing’s greatest stage?

We’ve one thing referred to as our large occasion protocol. It isn’t solely as a result of these horse races get a whole lot of media consideration. It is also as a result of they have an inclination to have an entire lot of individuals and an entire lot of runners and, and an entire lot of exercise. So we have to be particularly targeted on them and we do a further floor assessment. We additionally work very intently with the native veterinary group to ensure they’ve all the horse histories going into the Derby they usually have every part they want from us as a result of we actually are the repository for all the data. We do a really vital quantity of competitors testing of horses which might be more likely to be within the Derby. We’re additionally in control of human security. We additionally do simulations with how to answer a medical emergency if they need to occur to a jockey.