Based on the 2022 data, 99.88% of flat racing starts at the racetracks participating in The Jockey Club Equine Injury Database (EID) were completed without a fatality. Since launch of the database more than a decade ago, annual fatality figures on all racing surfaces have been reduced by 37.5%.

This is a tremendous achievement, but we all know that it is never enough.

The Jockey Club created the EID as a service to the industry in 2009 to accurately track racing fatalities, and it has created a wealth of information. In turn, research funded in 2016 by Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation enabled Dr. Tim Parkin to determine risk factors for Thoroughbreds using the database.

We have accomplished this because we focus on the health and welfare of the horse, but it takes all of us.

Jamie Haydon, president of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation

It is never easy when we lose one of our horses — anyone who owns or works with horses understands the bonds we have with them — and we each have our own responsibilities in their care. Grayson’s responsibility is funding research to advance the health and welfare of all horses.

Although breed projects do not get special attention, the Thoroughbred remains the most visible of all the equine athletes, and the research we have funded indicates our commitment to the breed.

Some of the highlights from these projects include the initial research by Dr. David Nunamaker demonstrating the detrimental effects of toe grabs on front shoes and the first ever PET scans of horses in 2016 that demonstrated hard-to-see changes in developing bone in the sesamoid areas. By the end of 2023, we will have more than a dozen of these new PET scan machines for use across North America.

In 2019 a team from the University of Melbourne studied 10 years of wearable technology data from Tasmania racing. The study, funded by Grayson, revealed that for horses a few years into their careers, those that sustained an injury during a race had slowed their racing speed and shortened their stride length around six races beforehand. These findings have encouraged United States racing jurisdictions and veterinarians to explore use of this technology to further reduce equine injuries.

In 2020 Grayson issued a special call to fund research into bisphosphonates. With a generous gift from Vinnie and Teresa Viola’s St. Elias Stables, a Grayson-funded project at the University of California-Davis recently published results showing that hair testing can be used to consistently detect bisphosphonates for up to six months after administration. Because these drugs can have a long-term effect on the bone of a developing horse, extended detection times are vital to protecting young horses. With this new information and testing, the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities has indicated it will be adjusting its bisphosphonates rules to come in line with North American racing and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority.

When it comes to Thoroughbreds, not all of our attention is focused on racing. Many research projects we fund focus on breeding stock and reproduction problems faced by Thoroughbred breeders. These include special allocations to the University of Kentucky Gluck Center in 2020 to house tissue and samples related to nocardioform placentitis and a study in 2021 to further expand our knowledge of the micro-biome in mares and foals associated with rotavirus B. Funding in 2023 includes a larger project with Dr. Feng Li to develop a nanoparticle vaccine for equine rotavirus B.

This is in addition to our work in colic, laminitis, post-surgery recovery therapies, strangles vaccines and treatments, equine herpesvirus, stem cell therapies, new tendon treatments, osteoarthritis treatments, advances in rhodococcus and placentitis therapies, and gene regulation, among others.

From the foaling stall to retirement and every activity in between, Grayson is assisting our veterinarians with the most current research to provide the best care to the horses we all appreciate so much.

We hope these updates strengthen your resolve for how important Grayson is and further your commitment to the research we will fund in the future. 

Jamie Haydon is president of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation