Figures published by the British Horseracing Authority show the five-year rolling average fatality rate in British racing is at the lowest on record and suggest the increased rate of 2018 was a blip and ran contrary to the trend.
In 2018, the fatal injury rate was 0.22%, following 201 deaths from 93,004 runners. That was markedly higher than in any year since 2014, the intervening rates having been 0.18%, 0.19%, and 0.18% again.
Last year’s 173 fatal injuries from 91,937 runners equates to a rate of 0.19%, and it reduces the five-year average – regarded as the most accurate measure of trends – to that percentage from as high as 0.28% when first published in 1998.
The ongoing reduction in injury rates is thought to be caused by many factors, ranging from ever-improving methods and standards of training, heightened veterinary expertise, more sophisticated practices when it comes to preparing safe racecourses, and the industry’s continuous process of assessment, investment, and improvement.