Racehorse Injuries

[Bast]

The purpose of this thread is the discussion of racehorse injuries, their causes & documentation, including track surfaces and training (or lack of training), both in races and on the training track.

Data will be collected and shared publicly with anyone who wants to review it.

[Matters of pedigree will NOT be a concern of this thread. This is a Phalaris, Stallion of Doom-free zone.]

[Toccet02]

Excellent idea.

[DDT]

I have not checked the tracks that have night racing, but for daytime tracks today I saw two horses that were eased and walked off the track at Fair Grounds and Unanimous Consent brokedown in the 1st race a Laurel and Fiery Footwork pulled up and was vanned off in the 5th race at Laurel. Have we decided what information we are going to record and who is going to record it?

DDT

[Bast]

I have not checked the tracks that have night racing, but for daytime tracks today I saw two horses that were eased and walked off the track at Fair Grounds and Unanimous Consent brokedown in the 1st race a Laurel and Fiery Footwork pulled up and was vanned off in the 5th race at Laurel. Have we decided what information we are going to record and who is going to record it?

DDT

No, we're still figuring out what data should be collected. Once that is determined, and a format determined, splitting up reporting among several people should not be a problem--merging all the spreadsheets as we go along.

These compiled data should be publicly available. For that reason, I am hesitant to include trainers' names because I don't want to be sued.

[Toccet02]

I have a spreadsheet with horse's age at time of injury/illness, number of starts, type of injury, and the rest of it is pedigree related. I have no track or human connection info.
I am using it to gather data on connecting unsoundness issues to certain bloodlines, esp. female families, but some of the data may be useful and I'm happy to collaborate on a new project.

[DDT]

Bast

We are collecting data that is public information, I do not believe anyone could get sued for attaching owner/trainer names to breakdowns, however, I also believe that the names are not necessary unless you want to pinpoint trainers and owners that have more breakdowns than the average. The Jockey Club is currently gathering data but they are not going to give specific details as to names of horses, tracks and connections involved, so it is useless to the general public. Breakdowns have always been a hush, hush situation.


DDT

[wilf]

It's a pity that trainers cannot be held up for inspection like surface types and conditions are. Every track that I raced at had a core of a few trainers responsible for all but a few of the breakdowns. Other stable's injuries were mostly due to falling over the stricken animals. I have had worse luck at the farm ,where horses just cannot handle prosperity and are determined to hurt themselves or another horse. Any data collection should also factor in the track's pre-race inspection process; if any.

[Linda_d]

I have not checked the tracks that have night racing, but for daytime tracks today I saw two horses that were eased and walked off the track at Fair Grounds and Unanimous Consent brokedown in the 1st race a Laurel and Fiery Footwork pulled up and was vanned off in the 5th race at Laurel. Have we decided what information we are going to record and who is going to record it?

DDT

No, we're still figuring out what data should be collected. Once that is determined, and a format determined, splitting up reporting among several people should not be a problem--merging all the spreadsheets as we go along.

These compiled data should be publicly available. For that reason, I am hesitant to include trainers' names because I don't want to be sued.

I assume you will post a copy of the actual data not actual "live" data, so could the owner and trainer be kept on the live data sheet but not be included on the posted copy? I think it's valuable data to have, but not necessarily shared with the public in general. For example, knowing trainers' names would enable you to do statistical analysis like determining the mean or average break-downs per trainer per meet or per racing/training day(s).

[Monsun]

One of your problems in tracking will be that a some of the pulled up/vanned horses will never again race, leaving unanswered the question of whether they were euthed behind the scenes, retired, or otherwise shuffled out of the deck. And, some may resurface on a track months or even years later.

[Affirmed1]

An oasis of rationality and sanity.

[DDT]

This is why we need a format for collection of the data and in my opinion follow up on horses that were injured and vanned off will not be complete. I would think that we want accurate information. The big question is why do we want to collect the data? Is it to expose dangerous racing surfaces? Is it to expose trainers that have the most breakdowns?

DDT

[Bast]

One of your problems in tracking will be that a some of the pulled up/vanned horses will never again race, leaving unanswered the question of whether they were euthed behind the scenes, retired, or otherwise shuffled out of the deck. And, some may resurface on a track months or even years later.

Alas, we live in an imperfect world.

We'll do our best.

[Monsun]

I would hope so. Unfortunately, unless you can capture the info on all or near all the horses that perished from injuries incurred on the track, your results may have limited validity. Aside from that issue, it's a laudable project.

[Bast]

The information collected should be of use to anyone studying the problem of breakdowns and injuries.

So far, we will probably collect:

Horse name
Sex
Year foaled
lifetime race record
track
race number, date, specific track
description of incident
outcome for horse
Source for outcome
Trainer
Owner

Should "pulled up, walked off" horses be tracked?

I want to keep track of who provided after-incident information because a lot of it will be word-of-mouth. I suggest using initials and keeping the key to those initials private, knowing how crazy things can get (I once saw a QH at Tioga Park locked in a stall completely lined sides and top with chicken wire).

Comments, input, suggestions?

[Bast]

Graded Stakes Comittee Postpones Raceday Medication Ban for 2-year-old Races
Updated: 5:40 PM ET (First posted: 5:39 PM ET)

The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association American Graded Stakes Committee revealed Friday that a 2012 ban on the use of raceday medication in 2-year-old graded stakes races will not be implemented as previously decided on last August. "Due to the nature of the various entities involved in implementation of rules governing racing, the policy has taken longer to implement than the Committee hoped when the announcement regarding the ban was made," said Dr. J. David Richardson, chairman of the Committee. "Over the past six months, through the leadership of the American Graded Stakes Committee and others in the industry, a great deal of valuable discussion has occurred regarding the important issue of medication administered to racehorses. Consistent with TOBA's mission to improve the economics and integrity of the sport, the Committee will continue to engage in productive discussions within the industry, to educate the public and to explore all avenues to effect positive changes with regard to the responsible use of medication for the benefit of Graded Stakes races, and the preservation of the integrity of those races."