Writing in the New York Daily News on June 9, 1/ST chairwoman, CEO and president Belinda Stronach called for a summit of “CEO-level horse racing leadership” to include racetrack owners and veterinarians this summer in Saratoga.
Stronach envisions the event as having “the clear goal of driving uniform standards of care and identifying and committing to investments that will enhance equine safety.”
“I believe it falls on those of us in this industry to lead a conversation directed at establishing a shared set of principles that don't vary state by state,” she wrote. “Moreover, these standards should reflect the rigorous changes we made in California when we faced our own crisis at Santa Anita.”
While the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act was supposed to nationalize welfare and safety standards, Stronach writes that it has not been embraced by everyone in the industry. Touting Santa Anita's significant reduction in equine fatalities since 2019, Stronach encourages track leadership to consider the use of advanced diagnostic imaging, use of artificial intelligence-based analytics to analyze veterinary records, and improve injury reporting through the Equine Injury Database to include training injuries as well as racing incidents.
“Regardless of the findings that come out of Churchill Downs, our industry faces a watershed moment,” Stronach wrote. “The time has come for all stakeholders to meet this moment with a unified commitment to the safety and welfare of horses and riders. If we can do that, I believe we can earn back the public trust and strengthen the social license required to sustain horse racing into the future.
Read the entire letter at the New York Daily News
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