A recent wave of racecourse deaths has alarmed James Given, director of horse health and welfare for the British Horseracing Authority. Prior to the deaths of four horses at the Scottish Grand National meeting in Ayr and two more at the event in Cheltenham in April, Grand National runner Celebre d’Allen passed away earlier this month due to a post-race infection. Given, a former trainer, emphasized the importance of firmer footing, saying: “The stats are there for everyone to see, they are monitored on a constant basis and it is a cause of concern.” “After years of working with risk modeling, we have come to the conclusion that there is a higher risk, and that this risk varies during the year based on environmental factors.
“It’s usually around the April/May period that we see this rise in numbers, in part because we have Flat racing starting – although they don’t contribute a huge number, the number of Flat races increases dramatically – but to concentrate on the jumping, we do know from risk modelling the quicker the ground becomes, the greater the risk.” Every horse, whether it is jumping or flat, has an inherent danger throughout the race, and the risk variables are growing. We also know that changes in the ground and surrounding conditions can enhance the risk.
