catastrophic injury | Horse Racing Free Tips

Study: Racetrack Fatalities In Sweden, Norway Often Result Of Sudden Collapse

A new study reveals that the main cause of racetrack fatalities in horses racing in Norway and Sweden is sudden collapse, not catastrophic injury, as was previously suspected.

Dr. Ingunn Risnes Hellings and a research team looked at fatalities recorded by the Norwegian and Swedish Trotting Associations from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 31, 2019; 48 horses died during this period—38 Standardbreds and 10 Norwegian-Swedish Coldblooded Trotters. The scientists looked at breed, age, sex, frequency of starts, time of year, and racing distance in an attempt to identify risk factors. They also noted whether the horse competed in a trotting race under saddle or in harness.

Fatalities were included in the study if the horse was euthanized after becoming injured immediately before the race, during the race, or within an hour of racing.

The researchers found that 14.5 percent of fatalities were from traumatic or orthopedic injuries, while the rest were considered “sudden athletic death.” This is a distinct difference from the primary cause of racetrack fatalities in Thoroughbred racehorses, in which most suffer catastrophic orthopedic injuries. Sudden athletic death in Thoroughbreds occurs at a rate of between 9 and 19 percent.

The team also found:

A higher number of starts in the last 30 days increased risk of sudden death
30 horses died of acute circulatory collapse due to cardiac or pulmonary failure
10 horses died from hemorrhaging after blood vessel rupture
Seven of the 48 study horses were euthanized because of catastrophic injury
70 percent of the 40 horses in the sudden athletic death category had marked bleeding in the lungs
The rate of sudden athletic death was similar between both breeds

The scientists determined that the rate of catastrophic injury fatalities was comparatively low and that suspected or confirmed cardiopulmonary causes of death were similar to previous studies. They note that additional investigation into the pathologies causing the cardiopulmonary events is warranted.

Read the full study here.

California Horse Racing Board Accepts Trainers’ Plan For Accident Prevention Task Force

During the California Horse Racing Board's regularly scheduled meeting on Oct. 20, the board accepted a plan to handle catastrophic breakdowns without the implementation of mandatory trainer penalties, reports bloodhorse.com. The plan, which includes an accident prevention task force, was presented by the California Thoroughbred Trainers during yesterday's teleconference committee meeting.

“Since our tracks and regulator now conduct reviews of the most serious accidents with those professionals and connections involved, what may be missing is a way to systemize these findings,” CTT executive director Alan Balch said in the committee meeting. “To evaluate them all together, and take definitive action where indicated, including not only the possibility of referrals or penalties for any licensees who might be found to be responsible, but more important, recommendations for improved conditions, safety, or regulation that may arise.”

CHRB commissioner Wendy Mitchell expressed her gratitude for the CTT's proposal.

“I just want to say that I'm really appreciative that the trainers came forward with constructive ideas and suggestions instead of bringing lawyers and trying to counter the work that we're doing,” Mitchell said. “So I'm really impressed and excited about that and other folks should take a lesson from that.”

Gilligan: Lack Of Voided Claim Rule ‘Creates Mortal Moral Hazard’

The current claiming rules in Louisiana harken back to the Stone Age, horseman, author, and jockey Jack Gilligan's father Patrick Gilligan wrote in an op/ed for the Thoroughbred Racing Commentary. Those rules state that the claimant becomes the owner of a horse as soon as that horse becomes a starter in the race, and that the claimant owns the horse “whether alive or dead, sound or unsound, or injured at anytime after leaving the starting gate, during the race or after.”

In states like California, Kentucky, and New York, voided claiming rules are written into racing regulations. These negate a claim if a horse suffers a catastrophic injury, and depending on the state, may also negate the claim for a horse that's lame or suffers EIPH during or after a race.

Gilligan cites a study of claiming horses by Professor Tim Parkin utilizing the Equine Injury Database, which reveals that when a voided claim rule goes on the books, the rate of catastrophic injury drops by as much as 25 percent (depending on the strictness of the rule).

Louisiana's claiming “rule creates mortal moral hazard,” Gilligan wrote. “It allows and implicitly accepts the possibility that trainers and their owners could engage in behavior of grossest negligence, and possibly profit from it.”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Racing Commentary.

The post Gilligan: Lack Of Voided Claim Rule ‘Creates Mortal Moral Hazard’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Funds Granted For Follow-Up Study On Catastrophic Racehorse Injuries

Catastrophic injuries in Thoroughbred racehorses is a top concern for the industry and for its fans. That sentiment is shared by researchers at the University of Kentucky's College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, who are working to learn more about changes happening at the cellular level that might indicate an injury is present before it becomes career- or life-ending.

According to Allen Page, staff scientist and veterinarian at UK's Gluck Equine Research Center, a recently completed study submitted for review shows it is possible to identify several early markers for horses at risk of catastrophic injury, possibly allowing for intervention before those injuries happen.

In this initial study, Page and his colleagues analyzed blood samples from more than 1,000 Thoroughbred racehorses. The samples, collected by participating racing jurisdictions from across the country, have come from both catastrophically injured and non-injured horses in a quest to better understand if there are any red flags in horses that suffer a catastrophic injury.

Previous research showed that many catastrophic injuries occur in limbs with underlying and pre-existing damage, leading to the theory that these injuries occur when damage accumulation exceeds the healing capacity of the affected bones over time. As a result, researchers think it is likely there may be markers of this damage that can be detected prior to an injury.

The identification of protein biomarkers for these types of injuries has been explored in previous research with limited success. As a result, the group opted to focus on quantifying messenger RNA gene transcripts or markers, knowing that the results would likely be much more sensitive than measuring proteins.

“We are definitely encouraged by our findings in the initial study. Out of the 21 markers we measured, three of them show real promise as being able to predict injury,” Page said. “Since the ultimate hope is to develop a screening tool that can be used pre-race to identify horses at increased risk for injury, we anticipate adding multiple other markers with our new study that is just getting started.”

As part of their new study, Page and his colleagues plan to utilize RNA-sequencing, a relatively new technology, to expand their search to the approximately 22,000 protein-coding genes horses have. This will dramatically increase the likelihood that they will be able to identify additional markers for horses at risk of injury. They plan to do this by using the large number of samples that have already been collected, further leveraging their initial study and decreasing the amount of time it will take to complete their new study.

The new study has been funded by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's Equine Drug Research Council, which also funded the three-year initial study.

“A lot of the credit for these projects goes to the KHRC and the Equine Drug Research Council. Their willingness to fund our projects is really a testament to their interest in supporting innovative and novel ideas geared towards improving the safety and well-being of horses and riders,” Page said.

“I am pleased that the EDRC is able to continue to provide support for this important study and that Dr. Page is able to continue his work on finding ways to protect our equine athletes,” said David Horohov, chair of the UK Department of Veterinary Science.

Joining Page in the research from UK's Gluck Center are Horohov, Emma Adam, assistant professor, research and industry liaison, James MacLeod, John S. and Elizabeth A. Knight chair, and Ted Kalbfleisch, associate professor.