The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has ruled that “unique circumstances” with “no external factor linking them” led to the death of four horses in a single afternoon of jump racing, meaning the Devon racecourse where they occurred will not be punished.
Back on 25 June, Happy Helen, Hallowed Rose, Bala Brook and Cuzzicombe all died during a seven-race card at Newton Abbot Racecourse, which is thought to be the highest death toll for a single day of racing since 2007.
It is thought that Hallowed Rose fell and suffered a broken neck, Cuzzicombe suffered a fractured leg and was euthanised, Bala Brook was fatally injured while running and Happy Helen collapsed and died of a heart attack. The races occurred on a day when temperatures reached a high of 27 degrees Celsius.
It prompted animal rights charity Animal Aid to describe events as “the industry’s darkest day in 17 years.” Animal Aid’s horse racing consultant, Dene Stansall, went on to say that racing “should be held accountable” for what happens at its courses and that the situation was “shameful”.
“Horses pay with their lives, raced by an industry focused on betting and making money no matter the consequences. It is time to ban jump racing,” Stansall added.
After the unusually high number of casualties, the BHA issued a statement the following day promising the deaths would be “thoroughly investigated” and a report would be compiled on the condition of the course.
The sport’s governing body has now completed the investigation after inspecting Newton Abbot racecourse and assessing its maintenance records. They say their “thorough assessment” has found no issue with the racing surface or any other facility at the track that caused these incidents.
They go on to state that the injuries were sustained in “unique circumstances and there appears to be no external factor linking them”, although the review of each horse’s death remains ongoing. Friday’s meeting at Newton Abbot will go ahead as scheduled.
The BHA’s full statement read: “Following four fatalities at its most recent fixture, the BHA’s racecourse and veterinary teams have worked closely with colleagues at Newton Abbot to understand as best as possible the circumstances behind each incident.
“The BHA’s racecourse and facilities manager is satisfied that there was no issue with the racing surface or any other facility at the track that caused these incidents. This followed an inspection of conditions at Newton Abbot and a thorough assessment of the track’s racing surface maintenance records.
“While the individual equine fatality reviews are ongoing, it has been determined that each injury was sustained in unique circumstances and there appears to be no external factor linking them. Newton Abbot’s record demonstrates how rare such occurrences are; in the last two full years, 2022 and 2023, a total of 1,524 runners competed at the track, resulting in three fatalities (defined as a horse being fatally injured as a direct result of their injuries on the raceday or within 48 hours of the raceday). This equates to a fatal injury rate of 0.20 per cent, below the current national jumps average of 0.42 per cent.
“In addition, a detailed investigation of the circumstances surrounding each fatality is being conducted by the Fatality Review Group. This process follows every fatality on all racedays. The BHA and racecourse veterinary teams will, as always, be on hand at Friday’s meeting to ensure horses are in the best condition for racing, including by carrying out pre-race examinations for all runners.”
Additional reporting from PA