In its 2025 annual metrics report released March 24, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority noted a slight increase in equine fatality rates for racing and workouts at tracks it oversees while noting a strong two-year record.
The report also notes that fatality rates continue to be lower at HISA tracks when compared with non-HISA tracks in North America. Those non-HISA tracks did see a slight improvement in their equine safety rates.
The report—which highlights 2025 fatality metrics, use of riding crop violations, scratch rates, and more—shows that racing continues to operate at significantly safer levels since HISA's inception.
In 2025, racetracks operating under HISA rules recorded 1.04 racing‑related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts, a sustained reduction from pre‑HISA benchmarks and a nearly 50% decline since national reporting began in 2009 by The Jockey Club's Equine Injury Database. Crucially, nearly 99.90% of starts in the past 12 months were completed without a fatality.
"Our mission is clear: to make Thoroughbred racing safer for horses and riders while safeguarding the integrity and future of the sport," said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. "The data contained in this year's report shows that uniform national safety standards are working. We are encouraged by the progress and remain deeply committed to building on these gains in collaboration with racetracks, regulatory partners, and industry stakeholders."
Also Tuesday, the EID reported a North American racing-related fatality rate of 1.07 fatalities per 1,000 starts. This includes a rate of 1.21 fatalities per 1,000 starts for Thoroughbred racetracks in the U.S. operating outside of HISA rules in 2025—e.g., racetracks in Louisiana, Texas, and West Virginia that continue to welcome participants who have violated, or resist oversight under, HISA rules. The EID's rate for HISA tracks aligns with HISA's report at 1.04.
Improving Safety: EID Documents Record Low Fatalities
"This continued gap between HISA and non-HISA racetracks underscores what we have long believed: strong, consistent national standards make racing safer." Lazarus continued. "At the same time, it is encouraging to see the fatality rate at non-HISA tracks decrease from 2024. We hope that the implementation of HISA rules, the industry-wide focus on safety they have helped catalyze and the movement of people and horses between tracks that are and are not under the HISA umbrella have contributed to a broader cultural shift."
Fundamental to improvements in equine safety is reducing fatalities in training activities. HISA began releasing data on training-related equine fatalities in 2025 for the first time in Thoroughbred racing history in the United States (and, to HISA's knowledge, internationally). During 2025, racetracks operating under HISA rules (and the training centers owned by them) reported 0.55 training-related deaths per 1,000 workouts (i.e., the official timed works of racehorses preparing for an official start, as recorded in Equibase). These data are subject to the same rigorous validation standards as racing fatalities.
HISA also determined that 71,443 unique Covered Horses either recorded a published workout or made a start in a Covered Horserace in 2025, meaning that the total racing- and training-related fatality rate for the Covered Horse population was 0.51%.
The report highlights two areas of ongoing research aimed at promoting equine safety. First, analysis of national data continues to show a recurring rise in racing-related fatalities near the end of seasonal meets. HISA is further evaluating potential contributing factors and urges industry stakeholders to remain vigilant through the racing calendar. The report also mentions a focused review of fatalities involving 2-year-old horses; HISA is examining whether an increase in the raw number of such cases in 2025 reflects any meaningful differences in horse backgrounds or management practices.
Additional key metrics released include a 24.8% year-over-year decrease in use of riding crop violations and a 13.6% scratches per entry rate in 2025 compared to 13.4% in the prior year.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
