While the Jockey Club's report shows a slight decrease nationally in the overall rate of fatal injuries — 1.39 per 1,000 starts in 2021 as compared to 1.41 in 2020 — the number of thoroughbreds who suffered fatal injuries while racing went up by 33.
That raised the total number of reported thoroughbred racing deaths to 366, at a time when there's greater scrutiny on safety.
Kristin Werner, senior counsel and administrator of the equine injury database, said the overall rate of fatalities per starts is still a good sign, but more areas "require closer study." She says the recording of more data through systems tracking treatment records and surfaces will give regulators, racetracks, and researchers a "better understanding of horse health and racetrack safety."
The horseracing industry has faced renewed pressure to reform after the deaths of nearly two-dozen horses at California's Santa Anita Park in 2019 put a spotlight on the issue.
The Horseracing Safety and Integrity Act, meant to standardize medication and safety rules nationwide, was passed in 2020.
