Equine Injury Database 2025 stats revealed
Midlantic tracks show solid results
Frank Vespe
March 26, 2026
In 2025, the rate of racing-related equine fatalities fell to its lowest level since the industry began tracking it, according to data released Tuesday by The Jockey Club.
According to the Equine Injury Database (EID), there were 251 fatalites from 235,625 starters in 2025, equating to 1.07 fatalites per 1,000 starters. Put a different way, in 2025 approximately 99.9% of all starters came home safely.
This article contains affiliate links. If you click and buy, we may earn a commission at no extra charge to you.
Pick up reliable and rewarding tickets for major events!
That fatality rate represents a 47% decline since 2009, the first year that national data was gathered and compiled.
Analysis of the EID was provided by Dr. Euan Bennet (University of Glasgow) and by Professor Tim Parkin (University of Bristol), who has consulted on the EID since its inception. The EID statistics are based on injuries that resulted in fatalities within 72 hours from the date of the race. The statistics are for official Thoroughbred races only and exclude steeplechase races.
“The Thoroughbred industry should be very proud of the work done to improve the safety of its athletes and to know that the initiatives supported by The Jockey Club and so many other organizations are proving to be effective,” Parkin said in a release. “A nearly 50% drop in the rate of fatality since 2009 is impressive, and it’s especially encouraging to see 8 furlong and shorter races at historic lows.”
Tracks are permitted but not required to allow their data to be made public. According to The Jockey Club, racetracks that publish their EID statistics reported racing fatalities per 1,000 starts of 0.95 as compared to 1.14 for those that do not publish.
In the Mid-Atlantic, Delaware Park, Monmouth Park, and the Maryland tracks (Laurel, Pimlico, and Timonium) publish their data. Charles Town, Colonial Downs, the Meadowlands, and the Pennsylvania tracks (Parx, Penn National, and Presque Isle) do not.
The Mid-Atlantic tracks that did publish their statistics reported having experienced 20 equine fatalities in 2025 from 16,340 starters. That was a rate of 1.22 fatalities per 1,000 starters, slightly higher than the national totals.
The three-year rolling average of fatalities in the Mid-Atlantic – an arguably more accurate statistic, given how rare fatalities are – was 1.02 per 1,000 starters, slightly below the national three-year average of 1.17.
In both 2023 and 2024, the reporting Midlantic tracks experienced fewer than one fatality per 1,000 starters.
Since reaching a high of 2.22 fatalites per 1,000 starters in 2014, Midlantic tracks have steadily reduced the problem, cutting fatalities by more than 50 percent.
Two Mid-Atlantic tracks, Pimlico and Timonium, saw no 2025 fatalities. Both host only brief meets. For Pimlico, it was the second consecutive meet without a fatality. For Timonium, it was the third straight spotless year and the fourth in its last five meets. Indeed, Timonium has seen just two fatalities in last seven meets, a rate of 0.73 per 1,000 starts.
To see track-by-track statistics, click here. To see national trend stats, click here.
MIDLANTIC TRACKS STATISTICS
| TRACK | FATALITIES | STARTERS | FATALITES/1,000 STARTERS |
| Delaware Park | 6 | 4344 | 1.38 |
| Laurel Park | 7 | 7971 | 0.88 |
| Monmouth Park | 7 | 3199 | 2.19 |
| Pimlico Race Course | 0 | 480 | 0.00 |
| Timonium | 0 | 346 | 0.00 |
Pick up reliable and rewarding tickets for major events!
LATEST NEWS
