Jul 03, 2024

Statement From British Horseracing Authority

Following four fatalities at their most recent fixture, the BHA’s racecourse and veterinary teams have worked closely with colleagues at Newton Abbot to understand as best as possible the circumstances behind each incident.

The BHA’s Racecourse and Facilities Manager is satisfied that there was no issue with the racing surface or any other facility at the track that caused these incidents. This followed an inspection of conditions at Newton Abbot and a thorough assessment of the track’s racing surface maintenance records.

While each individual equine fatality review is ongoing, it has been determined that each injury was sustained in unique, individual circumstances and that there appears to be no external factor linking them.

Newton Abbot’s own record demonstrates how rare such occurrences are; in the last two full years, 2022 and 2023, a total of 1,524 runners have competed at the track, resulting in three fatalities (defined as a horse being fatally injured as a direct result of their injuries on the raceday or within 48 hours of the raceday). This equates to a fatal injury rate of 0.20%, below the current national average of 0.42%.

In addition a detailed investigation of the circumstances surrounding each fatality will be conducted by the Fatality Review Group which takes longer than the elapsed time since the last meeting. This process follows every fatality on all racedays.

The BHA and racecourse veterinary teams will, as always, be on hand at Friday’s meeting to ensure horses that are racing are in the best condition to do so, including by carrying out pre-race examinations for all runners.

British Horseracing Authority