HISA Highlights Equine Safety in First Quarter Report

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) today announced the publication of its 2026 First Quarter Metrics Report. This report provides a detailed analysis of key performance indicators related to the safety and integrity of Thoroughbred racing in the United States. Racing-Related Fatalities During the first quarter of 2026 (January 1--March 31), racetracks operating under HISA rules reported 0.95 racing-related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts, meaning that 99.91% of starts occurred without a fatality. This quarter marked the inaugural safety impact of the HISA Equine Recovery Foundation (HERF), an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to providing critical assistance for Thoroughbred racehorses sustaining career-ending injuries during racing. Already this year, HERF has proven complementary to the benefits achieved under HISA rules. The foundation saved three horses (Candy, Cosmo and Quirky) from euthanasia who otherwise would have been racing-related fatalities. All three horses are thriving and will soon transition to second careers. Of the racing-related fatalities recorded this quarter, 81% were attributable to musculoskeletal causes, 16% to sudden death and 3% to other causes. Training-Related Fatalities Racetracks operating under HISA rules (and training centers owned by them) reported 0.67 training-related deaths per 1,000 workouts in the first quarter of 2026. HERF similarly benefited training safety this quarter, saving two horses (Chrissy and Pie) who would otherwise have been training-related fatalities. Both horses are thriving and will soon transition to second careers. Of the training-related fatalities recorded this quarter, 82% were attributable to musculoskeletal causes and 18% to sudden death. "HERF's work is a powerful complement to the progress we already have seen from HISA's racetrack safety and anti-doping rules," said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. "Our rules are driving meaningful, measurable improvements in safety across the industry, and now when a horse suffers an on-track reparable injury despite those protections, HERF gives us a way to fight for that animal's life so they can go onto a second career. Together, these efforts reflect what HISA was always meant to be: a comprehensive, unified approach to making this sport safer for horses and riders alike." HISA also determined that 26,513 unique Covered Horses either recorded a published workout or made a start in a Covered Horserace in the first quarter of 2026, meaning that the total racing- and training-related fatality rate for the Covered Horse population was 0.29%. Other Key Data During the first quarter of 2026, there were 2.84 crop rule violations per 1,000 starts--a 32% decrease year-over-year compared to 4.20 per 1,000 starts in the first quarter of 2025. This continues the meaningful downward trend observed throughout 2025, which saw a full-year rate of 3.31 per 1,000 starts, down 25% from 4.40 in 2024. On average, HISA received approximately 6,000 veterinary treatment records each day during the first quarter of 2026. As of March 31, 2026, 7.1 million veterinary treatment records had been uploaded or digitally submitted to the HISA database through third-party integrators since the inception of the Racetrack Safety Program on July 1, 2022. This dataset continues to power HISA's diagnostic tools, HISA CHECK√ and HISA Horse In-Sight. During the first quarter of 2026, HISA recorded an average of 11.7% scratches per entry at HISA tracks, compared to 11.6% in the same period last year--essentially flat year-over-year. HISA is continuing its comprehensive review aimed at updating the Veterinarians' List and Stewards' List categories across U.S. Thoroughbred racing, with changes targeted for later this year. The full report can be accessed here. The Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit will also release a separate quarterly report detailing metrics from the Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program.