Findings from the California Horse Racing Board-sanctioned study of 16 Thoroughbred fatalities at last year’s Del Mar meet were released during a meeting at Hollywood Park on April 23.
The study included input from track executives, jockeys, trainers, owners, and veterinarians, as well as a review of the necropsy study performed at the University of California at Davis’ postmortem examination program. Twelve of the deaths were attributed to catastrophic injuries to the musculoskeletal system, two were sudden deaths, and the other two were not related to racing or training. Because six of the deaths occurred during the first week of the meet, many horsemen had theorized that the change in racing surfaces from Hollywood Park to Del Mar was a factor. In addition, a delay in Del Mar track preparation because of a fair on the grounds may have exacerbated the situation. The study showed, though, that the fatal injuries were not caused by track conditions or any unusual circumstances.
"At the end of the meet, the total was not out of line with other tracks or our past meets," Del Mar Thoroughbred Club President Joe Harper told The Thoroughbred Times. "But one death is too many." He added that, although he was satisfied the track was adequately safe in 1998, a new racing surface will be in place for this year’s meet which begins July 22.