HISA Report Shows Breakdowns Continue to Decline, but only at HISA Tracks

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) released a third quarter metrics report that shows that the rate of breakdowns at HISA tracks continues to decline. The report covers the period of July 1 to Sept. 30 and marks the third consecutive quarter of year-over-year declines in the equine fatality rate.

The third quarter fatality rate decreased approximately 21% year-over-year, with racetracks operating under HISA's rules reporting 0.93 racing-related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts as compared to a rate of 1.18 in the third quarter of 2023.

At the recent Global Symposium on Racing hosted by the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program, HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus revealed that through Dec. 10, the rate of fatalities at HISA tracks was .88 per 1,000 starters. At the same time last year, that number was 1.32. Since The Jockey Club started its Equine Injury Database in 2009, the number of breakdowns per 1,000 starts has never been below 1.0 and has been as high as 2.0.

“The consistent year-over-year declines in the racing-related equine fatality rate are a testament to the dedication and collaboration of all stakeholders in our industry,” said Lazarus in a statement released Tuesday. “As safety and integrity continue to improve, we're reminded that our mission to protect the well-being of horses and riders will preserve the sport for generations to come. There's still more to achieve, but the progress so far is inspiring.”

Santa Anita, which, only five years ago, was at the center of the storm when an inordinate number of horses broke down while training or racing had just two breakdowns total during the first three quarters of the year. That yielded a number of 0.41 breakdowns per 1,000 starts. Horseshoe Indianapolis was another track with an impressive record. There was only one fatality there this year from 5,585 starts. That yielded a rate of 0.18 fatalities per 1,000 starts.

HISA does not have jurisdiction over racing in a handful of states, including Texas, West Virginia and Louisiana. HISA submitted public disclosure requests for racing-related fatalities in those states and received responses after releasing its own second-quarter results. During the second quarter of 2024, fatalities at racetracks in these non-HISA states amounted to 2.38 racing-related fatalities per 1,000 starts, more than triple the fatality rate at racetracks operating under HISA's rules during the same period, which was 0.76 racing-related fatalities per 1,000 starts.

The highest rate of fatalities occurred at the West Virginia tracks, Charles Town and Mountaineer Park. Nineteen horses died between Charles Town and Mountaineer Park in the first half of the year. The rate of fatalities there was 2.46 per 1,000 starts.

It is believed that rigid veterinary checks imposed by HISA have gone a long way toward reducing the number of fatalities. An average of 7,500 veterinary treatment records were uploaded daily during Quarter 3 2024, bringing the total to four million records since the Racetrack Safety Program's inception on July 1, 2022.