The 2025 First Quarter Metrics Report, released Tuesday by HISA, shows racing-related fatalities largely on par with previous averages. The first quarter, which runs from Jan. 1-March 31, saw racetracks operating under HISA's umbrella report 0.85 racing-related fatalities per 1,000 starts, consistent with the 0.84 fatalities reported through the same period last year. Additionally, this first quarter's 0.85 represents a 37% decrease compared to the 1.35 fatalities per 1,000 starts from two years ago through the same time frame. This also is 5.6% lower than the aggregate racing-related fatality rate of 0.90 per 1,000 starts for the 2024 period.
For the first time, HISA is also publishing data on fatalities' subclassifications: musculoskeletal injury, sudden death and other causes (i.e., traumatic injury not related to musculoskeletal injury). 94% percent of the racing-related fatalities recorded though the first quarter were attributable to musculoskeletal causes, with 3% to sudden death and 3% to other causes.
From a training standpoint, the same first quarter of 2025 reported 0.73 training-related fatalities per 1,000 workouts. Of the training-related fatalities recorded this quarter, 76% were attributed to musculoskeletal causes, 20% to sudden death and 4% to other causes.
“We're proud of the progress we've made as an industry and of the hard work being done every day to make Thoroughbred racing safer–but we also recognize that the work is far from finished, especially in training environments,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “We must continue pushing forward with the same sense of urgency and commitment when it comes to workouts, as well as races. Our responsibility to protect the welfare of horses and riders must be upheld every day, in every barn and on every track.”
23,167 unique Covered Horses either recorded a published workout or made a start in a Covered Race in the first quarter of 2025, meaning that the total racing–and training–related fatality rate for the Covered Horse population was 0.35%.
The full report can be viewed here.
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