Investigation launched after four horses die at Newton Abbot

The ground, which had been watered last week was good, was good to firm in places but considered safe by those who rode on it and though it was a warm afternoon (25C and horses were being cooled down on the course – standard practice on a hot day) the heat was not thought to be a contributory factor.

At some summer jumping fixtures all runners are required to trot up before racing when some potential lameness problems can be screened out but, though Newton Abbot has installed a trot up strip, Tuesday’s meeting was not a trot-up fixture though some of its previous meetings this summer have been. However any horses falling into the BHA’s ‘suitability to race’ category a vet will look at them prior to racing.

Peter Hobbs, the BHA’s inspector of courses, is due to visit the West Country venue, popular with holidaymakers, on Thursday.

When Southwell was closed for a few months in 2020 because of six deaths in a short period the injury and medical history of the horses, the class of race and their race background was as much a focus of the investigation as the track conditions.

“I’ve been doing this for 20 years and we’ve never had a day like this,” said clerk of the course Jason Loosemore on Wednesday. “Everyone involved in preparing the course felt it. They all work hard to produce safe ground. Today all the ground staff were all at Exeter racecourse with the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue training with a mannequin horse and jockey for a recovery exercise and the lads from Newton Abbot are still shell shocked.”

A BHA statement read: “Our thoughts are with everyone connected to the horses who suffered fatal injuries yesterday. The loss of a horse is always a dreadful occurrence for the owners, trainers and stable staff who provide them with outstanding care and attention throughout their lives so a day like yesterday deeply saddens all of us who love the sport.

“Losing four horses at a single fixture is extremely rare but this does not reduce the seriousness with which the BHA takes this matter. All four deaths will be thoroughly investigated and a report compiled on the condition of the course.”

Though Royal Ascot is a slightly different discipline roughly 600 horses ran there on fast ground last week without a single incident. To say it looks like an awful coincidence may sound flippant but, at the moment, that is what it looks like.