equine safety

Thistledown Racino in Ohio fired its track superintendent on Monday, and management at the Cleveland-area track has brought in outside racing surface consultants and is working with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) in the aftermath of four lost days of racing and training this week because of escalating safety concerns with the dirt surface. But Sean Wright, who was only on the superintendent's job four months before his abrupt termination July 21, told TDN in a Wednesday phone interview that Thistledown's troubles on its one-mile dirt oval extend...

During a detail-crammed 90 minutes, representatives from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) and Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) took to a virtual town hall Thursday to talk some of the what, how and whys of the federal program's budget processes since its inception in 2022 and on into next year's yet-to-be projected cost sheet. As HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus summed up the event, "HISA operates as a service to the industry. We owe a tremendous fiduciary obligation to our stakeholders, and we take that very seriously." The...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has released its annual metrics report for 2024, which shows that tracks regulated by HISA are significantly safer than those that are not. At the 47 racetracks operating under HISA's ADMC Program and Racetrack Safety Program, the combined rate of fatalities was .90 per 1,000 starts. At racetracks that are not covered by HISA, the fatality rate was 1.76 per 1,000 starts, almost double the number for the HISA tracks. The new was released just days after the Jockey Club released its numbers...

That the figures recently released by the Jockey Club from its Equine Injury Database showed another significant drop in the number of fatalities was good news, but hardly surprising news. The numbers seem to get better every year. But dig deeper into the data presented by the Jockey Club and there is a number that is quite surprising and encouraging. In 2024, dirt tracks were almost as safe as synthetic tracks. There were 1.18 fatalities per 1,000 starts on the dirt, which came very close to the number in the...

In response to the recent New York Times negative and factually incorrect article on the horse racing industry, I would argue that we, as an industry need to change our tack. The New York Times piece pulled three angles--animal cruelty, human exploitation, and the time honoured 'the rich are stealing your money.' How can any story based on such a narrative fail from raising temperatures? This was born out in the comment section at the end of the article, despite the quick action taken by Light Up Racing and Vicki...

Assessing the data amassed by the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority for the 2024 season, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Tom Rooney weighed in on the progress made in racing-related fatal injuries since HISA entered the picture. For the first time since the data has been tracked and recorded, the rate fell below 1.00 per 1000 starts for the 2024 calendar year. "HISA has been a clear game changer for Thoroughbred racing and its programs are working," said Tom Rooney, NTRA President and CEO. "It is important to not...

It's understandable if you're not exactly a fan of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). Since its inception there have been many bumps along the road. They didn't think things through when it comes to how they would handle drug positives and provisional suspensions, ignoring how likely it is that the positives were not the case of trainers trying to cheat but of environmental contamination. They went after some trainers who got positives but clearly weren't cheating. Some of the cases were heartbreaking. In October of 2023, colleague T.D....

Speaking publicly for the first time since he was caught on video striking the horse National Law (Constitution) in the face with his whip after the field crossed the wire in Tuesday's fifth race at Parx, jockey Paco Lopez posted a tweet Thursday in which he admitted he was at fault. "I take full responsibility for my actions," Lopez wrote. "I am aware that our sport is under a lot of scrutiny and I fully apologize to everyone involved in our sport--fans, horsemen, management, racing commissions, HISA and of course,...

The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) Global Summit on Equine Safety and Technology took place at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Canada June 12-14. The Summit was attended by approximately 90 international research scientists, clinicians, veterinarians and racing regulators from at least 13 countries. "The Summit has been a major achievement for the Federation and our ongoing commitment to improving equine safety and welfare," said IFHA Executive Council Member Jim Lawson, who delivered the Summit's closing remarks. "Scientific research and technology are cornerstones of the IFHA's efforts to protect our...

What started out as one of racing's best feel-good stories in years ended in tragedy Wednesday at Oaklawn when the fleet Iowa-bred Tyler's Tribe (Sharp Azteca) died following a four-furlong workout. Afterward, the track issued a press release in which it said that trainer Tim Martin's entries for the final week of racing at Oaklawn were being scratched by the stewards. "In the interest of all parties, Oaklawn must take these actions to properly investigate the matter," the statement read. It also said that there would be an investigation regarding...

The non-profit Puerto Rico Horse Owners Association, Inc. (PRHOA) has sued the Gaming Commission of the Government of Puerto Rico and the corporate owners of Camarero Race Track in United States federal court, seeking $500,000 in horse-injury damages because of allegedly unsafe track conditions that the PRHOA is claiming have persisted at Puerto Rico's only Thoroughbred venue for nearly a decade. The PRHOA also claimed in its Apr. 26 lawsuit in United States District Court (District of Puerto Rico) that despite several years of official complaints lodged to address the...

A new HISA computer model to identify at-risk horses is being used by Churchill Downs officials to complement existing track safety nets, representatives from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) announced during Tuesday's press conference on equine safety protocols in place for this year's GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks. "It's essentially a model that looks at 44 potential risk factors that might cause a horse to be at risk for injury," said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus, who added that the...