A report from the Coalition to Protect Racehorses puts the number of dead at 151, but says the true figure is likely to be much higher.
With “Melbourne Cup Fever” building ahead of the event to be held on Nov. 5, the Coalition to Protect Racehorses (CPR) has released its annual “Deathwatch” report.
It details the deaths of 151 thoroughbred racehorses on Australian racetracks in the 2023/24 season, equating to at least three every week. But the group suggests the true number is probably much higher, and that jumps racing is almost 20 times more deadly for horses than flat racing.
“While our dedicated DeathWatch team monitors every race result and stewards report across the country for incidents of ‘euthanasia’ on the track, an ever-increasing number of deaths are identified by tracking the horses who are injured [during races],” CPR says.
“These horses will suddenly appear as ‘deceased’ on their records shortly after their last race, often meaning they were transported off the racetrack to be put down out of sight from the racegoers.”Sometimes a horse dies during initial trackwork or training before being given an official racing name. Currently, New South Wales (NSW) is the only state to disclose these deaths in reports, but only when it is notified of them. And not all are reported.
The CPR, therefore, wants reporting to be made mandatory across all Australian states and territories.
“Each year, CPR experiences obstruction and deception by the racing industry. Members of the industry often refuse to engage in a meaningful or constructive conversation. Race footage is routinely edited to omit scenes of injured horses and serious incidents before they are made publicly available,” the report says.
Six of the horses in the report died during their first race.
“I’m sure the champagne wouldn’t taste so sweet if people were aware of how cruel and abusive this so-called sport is,” said Coalition Campaign Director Elio Celotto.
Causes of death among racehorses include heart attack, severe trauma to the head and mouth, internal bleeding, ruptures in both front legs, lacerations to tendons, and an extensive range of fractures.
NSW (including the Australian Capital Territory) recorded the most deaths, at 48, while Victoria had 44, Queensland 32, Western Australia 13, South Australia 10, Tasmania three and the Northern Territory one.
The report notes a large increase in horses who sustained an injury during a race but were not euthanised on track.
“If a racehorse has suffered injuries and is suffering pain, immediate euthanasia is in the best interest of the animal’s welfare,” it says.
“The prolonged suffering of horses who are transported off track and euthanised up to several days later is highly unethical [and] is an attempt to minimise public reproach when these injuries and deaths occur, and [to] obscure the number of horses that die on the track.”
The treatment of retired racehorses which go on to become broodmares is also of concern to the group, such as the case of well-known 25-time race winner Black Caviar.
“During the impregnation process, Black Caviar had a ‘twitch’ restraint on her upper lip, (which could be tightened if she protested when a stallion mounted her), to make her compliant without risking injury to the stallion or herself,” the reports states.
She was euthanised after giving birth to her ninth foal due to laminitis, the inflammation of soft issues in the hoof.
CPR also claims that an unknown, but large, number of foals are killed because they are deemed not suitable for racing, a process the industry calls “wastage.”
“One-third to one-half of the Thoroughbred foals who are registered (presumably to race) each year (approximately 4,000 to 6,000 foals) never even make it to the racetrack,” the report claims.
New Zealand also features in the report, which notes that the country has just 27,000 “starts” compared to Australia’s 180,000.
Nevertheless, during the New Zealand racing year ending July 31, 2024, 20 horses died from either fatal incidents or euthanasia following catastrophic injuries at the race track.
The Epoch Times contacted Racing Australia, the peak body for the states’ and territories’ horse racing organisations, for comment.