May 20, 2025 (Lexington, KY) – The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) today announced the publication of its <a href="https://hisaus.org/news/2025-q1-metrics-report">2025 First Quarter Metrics Report</a>. 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 2025 (January 1–March 31), racetracks operating under HISA’s rules reported 0.85 racing-related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts, roughly consistent with the 0.84 racing-related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts reported during the same period last year and representing a 37% decrease as compared to 1.35 racing-related equine fatalities per 1,000 starts in the first quarter of 2023, the first year HISA collected such data. This also is 5.6% lower than the aggregate racing-related fatality rate of 0.90 per 1,000 starts for the 2024 period.
For the first time, in furtherance of its commitment to providing deeper insights into the causes of equine fatalities, HISA is publishing data on fatalities’ subclassifications: musculoskeletal injury, sudden death and other causes (i.e., traumatic injury not related to musculoskeletal injury). Of note, 94% percent of the racing-related fatalities recorded this quarter were attributable to musculoskeletal causes, 3% to sudden death and 3% to other causes. As HISA continues to expand its use of veterinary treatment records to identify injury risk patterns, it has begun issuing advisories based on those insights. HISA recently released its first-ever <a href="https://hisaus.org/news/hisa-issues-equine-health-advisory-on-risk-factors-for-fatal-proximal-forelimb-fractures">equine health advisory</a> focused on risk factors for fatal proximal forelimb fractures, using data drawn from the HISA Portal.
Training-Related Fatalities
During the first quarter of 2025, racetracks reported 0.73 training-related fatalities per 1,000 workouts. Of the training-related fatalities recorded this quarter, 76% were attributed to musculoskeletal causes, 20% to sudden death and 4% to other causes.
“We’re proud of the progress we’ve made as an industry and of the hard work being done every day to make Thoroughbred racing safer—but we also recognize that the work is far from finished, especially in training environments,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “We must continue pushing forward with the same sense of urgency and commitment when it comes to workouts, as well as races. Our responsibility to protect the welfare of horses and riders must be upheld every day, in every barn and on every track.”
HISA also determined that 23,167 unique Covered Horses either recorded a published workout or made a start in a Covered Race in the first quarter of 2025, meaning that the total racing- and training-related fatality rate for the Covered Horse population was 0.35%.
The full report can be accessed <a href="https://hisaus.org/news/2025-q1-metrics-report">here</a>. The Horseracing Integrity &amp; Welfare Unit will also release a separate quarterly report detailing metrics from the Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program.