by Nicole Kraft, director of communications, USTA

Columbus, OH — Although harness racing was not part of Thursday’s Congressional hearings into horse racing, the topics addressed resonate across breeds.

The catalyst for the spotlight on racing stem from the breakdown of the filly Eight Belles after the Kentucky Derby, and the revelation later that an estimated two in 1,000 Thoroughbreds suffer catastrophic breakdowns annually. Such numbers are hard to even imagine in harness racing, where many jurisdictions have not seen a single such breakdown in years.

Between 2003 and 2007, Standardbreds made just over 2,170,000 purse starts in 18 racing jurisdictions. Of those jurisdictions, 13 provided reports of catastrophic injuries (three did not keep the data and two did not respond to a USTA request) revealing 129 deaths over five years. For some jurisdictions that includes all deaths — even those from injury or disease that did not occur while racing.

Calculating just the starts (1,825,712) and injuries from those states with reported data, only .07 percent of Standardbreds suffered catastrophic injury during their racing careers, which on average are considerably longer than a Thoroughbred.

Dr. Patricia Hogan of the Hogan Equine Clinic, veterinarian for 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones, said in a story in the July 75th anniversary issue of Hoof Beats that Standardbreds are far less likely to suffer catastrophic fractures because they don’t go as fast as Thoroughbreds and, with their gait, skim over the ground instead of putting all their weight on one foot. Hogan added that the fitness standards of Standardbreds keep them exercising and building bone density over several slow miles, often five or six days a week, as opposed to Thoroughbreds, which focus on sporadic bursts of speed. Standardbreds are also found to have greater longevity than their Thoroughbred counterparts, considering the average runner makes just 6.33 starts in his career. Pacers and trotters averaged 17 starts in 2007 alone, and they average 41 races in their entire career.

The industry has also been active in addressing breed diversity. Unlike the Thoroughbred, purely bred over generations, the Standardbred was developed as a hybrid. The breed combines the qualities of English Thoroughbreds, Arabians, Morgans and historic breeds of horses developed for the endurance and heartiness required of 18th and 19th century farmers who used them for transportation and field work.

To further understand changes in the bloodlines, the USTA in 2004 contracted with the University of Kentucky’s Dr. Gus Cothran to produce a study identifying the breed’s genetic model. Dr. Cothran confirmed the breed needed to seek more diversity, and the USTA responded by stipulating changes that will start with the 2009 breeding season. The new requirements, which were developed in cooperation with Standardbred breeders, specify that the total mares bred in the U.S. to any stallion that has never previously covered a mare shall not exceed 140 for trotting stallions, and 160 for pacing stallions (declining to 150 in 2010 and 140 in 2011 and thereafter).

For more information on Standardbreds and the activities of the USTA on their behalf, contact us at 877.800.8782, ext. 2.