By Dr. Stacey Oke

In the wake of two highly publicized catastrophic racetrack injuries since May 2006, questions and opinions regarding the safety of Thoroughbred racehorses have been generated and propagated by fans, the media, and animal rights groups.

“The entire equine industry is saddened over the loss of Eight Belles and Barbaro, but we are not idly standing by," emphasized Dr. C. Wayne McIlwraith, director of orthopaedic research at Colorado State University. "For years we have been aggressively seeking methods to improving racing conditions to decrease the incidence of racetrack injuries.

“We have had two Welfare and Safety Summits in the past two years; however, we need to put many of our resolutions into effect to minimize the rate of both catastrophic and non-catastrophic injuries," McIlwraith continued.

One of the industry’s most recent safety initiatives is the establishment of the voluntary On-Track Injury Reporting System by Dr. Mary Scollay, associate veterinarian at Calder Race Course and Gulfstream Park.

According to Scollay’s analysis of the preliminary On-Track Injury data, the fatality rate in Thoroughbred racehorses is extremely low--1.47 of 1,000 starts on synthetic surfaces and 2.03 fatalities per 1,000 starts on dirt.

Scollay added, “As I have emphasized before, this is just preliminary data and further research is required to fulfill the three goals of the injury reporting project--to identify the frequency, type, and outcome of racing injuries to develop a database capable of identifying horses at-risk for injury.”

These latest figures confirm earlier reports that have analyzed the risk of fatality in Thoroughbred racehorses in California, Kentucky, Canada, and England. Each of these studies concluded that the fatality rate is less than 0.18% and data from the England suggests these rates are even lower.

“Obviously, we want this figure to be zero and we are all working towards achieving this goal,” said McIlwraith.

Regarding the question of whether fillies should race against males, it is unclear at present whether this is a real issue or not despite the images of Eight Belles and Ruffian.

McIlwraith agreed by stating there is no data to suggest females suffer catastrophic injuries more often than males.

Nor is there any evidence younger horses (i.e., 2-year-olds) are injured more often than their 3- or 4-year-old competitors.

“In fact, there is epidemiologic data in the United States showing 4-year-olds as having the highest incidence of catastrophic injuries—not the 2-year old group,” McIlwraith said.

In a 2007 study of Ontario racing Thoroughbreds, there was no difference in catastrophic injuries in horses of different ages from 2 to 8 years or between sexes.

Once horses with an increased risk of injury are identified, it will be possible to intervene and potentially decrease the number of racetrack injuries.

“Based on a Grayson-Jockey Club funded study conducted in Southern California, we have developed a serum biomarker test (a blood test) with a 90% predictability for diagnosing a pre-fracture injury,” said McIlwraith. 

McIlwraith’s vision for the future is the wide-spread use of this blood test to identify horses at-risk for injury, then perform addition follow-up diagnostic imaging techniques, such as bone scans, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging to ultimately reduce the number of racehorse injuries.

The dedication of the Thoroughbred industry to racehorse safety is further evidenced by various safety initiatives in different sectors of the industry, including:

--Establishment of the Barbaro Fund and the Penn Vet Laminitis Institute
--Formation and development of the Racing, Medication, and Testing Consortium
--Professional and education services provided by the American Association of equine Practitioners
--Aggressive research efforts in the field of joint disease and joint injuries to diagnose bone or joint damage in the early stages of disease and to estimate risk and severity of joint damage
--Active efforts by charitable organizations, such as the Southern California Equine Foundation, which is dedicated to protect the interest and promote the welfare of the equine athlete
--Construction of synthetic surfaces at nine racetracks throughout North America
--Institution of The Jockey Club’s Thoroughbred Safety Committee
--Scheduling of regular meetings of the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit.