Recent equine fatalities ‘a cause of concern’ for the BHA

James Given, the British Horseracing Authority’s director of equine health and welfare, said on Wednesday a recent spate of racecourse fatalities are “a cause of concern”.

Following the high-profile death of Grand National runner Celebre d’Allen from a post-race infection at the start of the month, the National Hunt code endured a testing few days with four fatalities at Ayr’s Scottish Grand National meeting as well as two deaths at Cheltenham’s April fixture.

Given – a former trainer himself – pointed to quicker ground as a relevant factor, saying: “The stats are there for everyone to see, they are monitored on a constant basis and it is a cause of concern.

“We have been working over the last many years with risk modelling so we recognise there is an increased risk and it varies in the time of year depending on environmental conditions.

“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 when its racing, whether jumping or Flat, has an inherent risk in that time at that race and there are increasing risk factors and we do know the ground and environmental changes do increase that risk.

“It’s working out what that risk is and whether it’s that factor alone or multi other factors.”

Last year’s Scottish Grand National winner Macdermott and The Kniphand both sustained fatal injuries in this year’s renewal, while Valgrand fell in the Scottish Champion Hurdle and Persian Time was injured in a chase on the first day of the fixture.

Given underlined all racecourse deaths are examined in detail, adding: “Questionnaires are sent out to the jockey, trainer, the trainer’s own vet, the racecourses, the stewards – it has been a bit of a shotgun approach, but we are refining it, so every horse whether it is at Cheltenham or a wet Wednesday at a lesser track, we are looking into them all.”

In other matters covered in a media briefing call, acting BHA chief executive Brant Dunshea also admitted to feeling “frustrated and disappointed” with the rate of progress in upgrading weighing-room facilities.

The BHA initially announced a deadline of October 2024 for tracks to complete the required work, but acknowledged “headwinds” including covid, the financial impact of the pandemic plus heritage or planning issues at some venues to have impacted timescales.

However, after recent reports featured an image of a jockey riding a warm-up bike in the toilet area at one track, Dunshea urged riders to inform the BHA of any such problems.

He said: “If there is a photograph that demonstrates someone is having to ride an exercise bike in those conditions or there is an issue with a particular facility, the BHA officials on the day need to be made aware, the photo needs to be shared with us and the racecourse so we can address it immediately.

“Jockeys are professionals and all riders that use racecourse facilities should be provided with consistently high standards, there’s no doubt about that.”