The British Horseracing Authority already was working with the owners of Southwell racecourse to look into the circumstances behind six equine fatalities there from July 1 to August 24.
SOUTHWELL, Notts., England (Sept. 3) — Jump racing was suspended at
a British racecourse on Thursday following the death of eight horses
at the venue since July 1.
The British Horseracing Authority already was working with the
owners of Southwell racecourse to look into the circumstances behind
six equine fatalities there from July 1 to Aug. 24.
The death of two more horses at the track in central England on
Thursday led to racing being suspended at Southwell.
“This is to allow a comprehensive investigation to take place,” the
BHA and Arena Racing Company said in a joint statement. “This
involves the racecourse and the BHA’s veterinary team, racecourse
department and course inspectors looking into the specific
circumstances to understand if there are any common factors.”
In its own statement, the ARC (Arena Racing Company) said there
would be a full review into all possible factors, “including (but
not limited to) fence and hurdle design, track layout and
configuration and going as well as GPS speed and timing data.”
None of the writers named the dead, but we can and will, thanks to
Animal Aid and their Race Horse Death Watch.
Names of the Dead:
Source: Animal Aid’s Race Horse Death Watch was launched during the 2007 Cheltenham Festival. Its purpose is to expose and record every on-course Thoroughbred fatality in Britain.
Article Source: ESPN via the Associated Press, 3 Sept 2020.