New technology may stop horse injuries before they get serious
StrideSafe, a company that has created performance-prediction technology for racehorses, said Wednesday that some of the horses who died at Churchill Downs this spring wore sensors that showed abnormal readings as soon as they left the gate.
The company said in a news release that eight of the 12 fatalities were race-day musculoskeletal events and that none of the horses had ever been tested prior to the fatal race. The eight horses were wearing StrideSafe sensors, and they indicated that seven of them showed abnormal readings.
“Had the sensors been on the horses in prior races, they could’ve pointed to an issue the horse was having weeks or even months earlier,” Dr. David Lambert, CEO of StrideSafe, said in the release. “These results give us great optimism that with consistent use, we should be able to identify issues long before they are discernible to the human eye. StrideSafe technology will empower trainers and veterinarians with vital information which they can use in their daily efforts to safeguard the welfare of their horses.”
The findings were released after a two-day meeting of the research team connected to the StrideSafe grant awarded by the Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council.
Churchill Downs-based trainer Dale Romans is one who supports the technology.
Calling the cluster of fatalities "an anomaly," Romans said, “the track at Churchill Downs has been very good, and so is the one at Ellis Park.
He believes racing is entering "a new era" where technology will improve safety. "We can’t eliminate all fatalities, but we can and will bring the numbers down farther. We know it’s not going to be tomorrow, but it will come down the road. We need to be ready to take advantage of whatever new technology becomes available.”
“I’m a huge supporter of anything that will reduce catastrophic injuries,” said, who added that he uses the StrideSafe technology on every horse he works. “It’s not all about catastrophic injuries. It’s also about making six-month problems into 30-day problems. It’s about keeping horses in the barn racing. We’re not saying technology is going to replace horsemanship. But it will be a tool to enhance horsemanship."
A town hall meeting for trainers, owners and others will be held at Churchill Downs on Monday morning to explain the technology. Lambert and Churchill Downs Inc. equine medical director Will Farmer will take questions at the meeting, which is presented by the Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and the National HBPA in cooperation with Churchill Downs.
The meeting, at 10:15 a.m. EDT, will be streamed live on the Kentucky HBPA YouTube channel.
Final veterinary reports are presented
Also this week, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission received final veterinary reports for the Churchill Downs spring meet and Keeneland's April meet at its regular meeting on June 20.
During the meet, which was cut short and moved to Ellis Park after the fatalities, Churchill had 1,855 total starts and 53 veterinary scratches, KHRC chief veterinarian Dr. Nick Smith said at the meeting. Of those scratches, 33 were the result of morning pre-race exams and 20 occurred between the paddock and the gate.
Smith reported 11 equine fatalities during the meet, which doesn’t include Wild On Ice, who was euthanized after an injury while training at Churchill before the meet began. That was the only fatality related to training, Smith said.
Keeneland had 1,262 starts during its spring meet, with 44 veterinary scratches. Of those, 31 were pre-race and 13 were on the track.
Paulick Report noted that the fatality rate works out to 5.93 fatalities per 1,000 starts, and 6.46 if Wild On Ice is included. The national average is 1.25 per 1,000 starts recorded by the equine-injury database in 2022, according to the report.