Business is booming at the world’s pinnacle horse racing tracks, and in case you study the current headlines, so is the rate of horse fatalities. But you may be surprised to discover that despite the dramatic information of horse deaths at Santa Anita Race Track in California, it has, without a doubt, been a terrific year for the park’s fatality fee.
Only 25 racetracks in America share statistics on horse fatalities. The Jockey Club’s Equine Injury Database, Hawthorne Race Course in Illinois, and Churchill Downs in Kentucky have been the leaders in fatalities. Churchill Downs does not publicly launch its racing deaths. However, the latest document in the Louisville Courier-Journal claims it has a 50 percent better dying price than other tracks in America.
The report states that through 98 percent of all racetracks in North America, thoroughbreds suffered 6,134 deadly racing injuries between 2009 and 2018. It is likewise properly documented that artificial race tracks produced fewer fatalities than dirt tracks. Unfortunately, none of the North American racetracks on my list have synthetic tracks.
Researchers have additionally observed that contributing loss of life factors encompass track firmness, improved racing distance, elevated horse overall performance, first-12 months racing, and horses wearing eye covers. Horses with higher-performing rankings also had an extended risk of fatality, and racing inside the Summer and Autumn also multiplied the probability of fatalities. There have additionally been reviews of anticoagulant rodenticide ingestion discovered in toxicology reviews. In line with the Equine Veterinary Journal, unexpected loss of life accounted for three.5-19% of all flat horse racing fatalities because of rat poison.
Here is a five-yr breakdown of equine racing and education fatalities (no longer which include gastro-intestinal diseases, respiration disorder, and neurological illnesses) on the Santa Anita Race Track by myself, and ought to be a awakening call that the enterprise wishes to make a few extreme adjustments if they want to stay in operation.
July 2017-July 2018: Santa Anita racing and schooling deaths=37
July 2016-July 2017: Santa Anita racing and education deaths=54
July 2015-July 2016: Santa Anita racing and schooling deaths= 57
July 2014-July 2015: Santa Anita racing and education deaths= 39
July 2103-July 2014: Santa Anita racing and training deaths= 45
Despite the latest terrible exposure, the sector stays curious about horse racing, billionaires retain to spend money on championship thoroughbreds, and the racetracks around the globe remain a number of the most elite. Here is my selection of the top 10 racetracks in the global:
Churchill Downs, Kentucky (opened in 1875, hosts the Kentucky Derby)
Ascot, United Kingdom (opened in 1711, hosts The Gold Cup, King George VI)
Longchamp, France (opened in 1857, hosts Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe)
Epsom Downs, United Kingdom (opened in 1661, hosts Epsom Derby)
Meydan, Dubai (opened in 2010, World’s longest racetrack, hosts Dubai World Cup)
Saratoga, New York (opened in 1863, hosts Travers Stakes)
Tokyo Racecourse (opened in 1933, hosts Japan Cup)
Flemington, Melbourne (opened in 1840, hosts Melbourne Cup)
Aintree, United Kingdom (opened in 1829, hosts Grand National)
Santa Anita, California (opened in 1934, hosts Santa Anita Derby)Standardbred Horses are divided into Trotters and Pacers. So, a basic requirement is that the standard-bred horse runs the race using the appropriate method or gate (at a Pace or a Trot). For a Trot, the horse runs such that the diagonal legs hit the ground simultaneously (right front leg, back left leg). For a Pace, the horse runs such that each side (right legs, then left legs) hit the ground simultaneously. If the standard-bred horse ‘breaks’ the running gate while running the race, the horse must go to the back of the pack and re-establish the gate; this is referred to as a ‘break.’ Races like the Hamiltonian are well-known races for Standardbreds.
