At the third Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit held at Keeneland on June 28 and 29, Dr. Tim Parkin, noted epidemiologist from the University of Glasgow’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, presented a preliminary analysis of racing fatalities in North America from data compiled in the Equine Injury DatabaseTM.

Fatality information was based upon a year’s worth of data beginning November 1, 2008, from 378,864 total starts in Thoroughbred flat races at 73 racetracks participating in the Equine Injury Database at that time.

The conclusions presented by Dr. Parkin included:

• The incidence of fatality in 2-year-olds for the one-year period was significantly lower than that of older horses, 3 years of age and up
• The incidence of fatality in fillies, mares and geldings for the one-year period was significantly lower than that of intact males
• The incidence of fatality for the one-year period was not significantly different for horses racing at different distances or carrying different weights
• The incidence of fatality for the one-year period was not significantly different for dirt, synthetic and turf racing surfaces, or condition of the dirt and turf racing surfaces

“This preliminary analysis just scratches the surface,” said Parkin, who serves as a consultant on the Equine Injury Database. “As the number of starts recorded in the database continues to grow, more complex statistical analyses can focus upon multiple variables studied in concert to better understand the myriad of factors which may contribute to fatal and non-fatal injuries. In addition, differences that may not have achieved statistical significance after one year of data collection may do so with additional observations recorded in the database.”

“The work presented today represents a starting point, not a destination,” said Dr. Mary Scollay, equine medical director for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and a consultant on the Equine Injury Database. “This begins to answer the question of what is happening. The ‘how’ and ‘why’ remain to be determined.”

“The creation and existence of the Equine Injury Database serves as a shining example of what can be achieved when industry stakeholders work together under a shared goal to improve the health and safety of our equine athletes,” said Matt Iuliano, the executive vice president and executive director of The Jockey Club. “Dr. Parkin’s work illustrates the importance of a database such as the Equine Injury Database, supplemented with other information to support our decision makers with good science for analyzing and solving problems facing our industry. We look forward to the continued development and integration of additional information resources to assist our industry leaders.”

The Jockey Club, through two of its for-profit subsidiary companies, InCompass and The Jockey Club Technology Services Inc., has underwritten the cost to develop and operate the Equine Injury Database as a service to the industry. By agreement with the participating racetracks, from time to time The Jockey Club may publish certain summary statistics from the Equine Injury Database, but will not provide statistics that identify specific participants, including racetracks, horses or persons. The Equine Injury Database contains a suite of reports for racetracks to analyze data collected at their respective facilities.

A list of racetracks participating in the Equine Injury Database can be found at jockeyclub.com/initiatives.asp.

Click here to view a supplemental data sheet.