
26/09/2025
Delighted to share our latest publication available today free open access in Vet Record http://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.5777 describing racing and training outcomes, population dynamics, and horses' destinations over the 4-year study period.
Importantly, our findings suggest that wastage due to failure to train and race may be significantly lower than industry-level estimates suggest, highlighting potential traceability gaps at this level, most likely due to the dynamic nature of Thoroughbred populations.
Key findings:
- Thoroughbred populations are highly dynamic, leading to traceability gaps at industry-level that may inflate wastage estimates.
- Individual horse-level follow-up suggests that the majority of Thoroughbreds bred for racing enter training and appear on a racecourse.
- A better-defined target population, enhanced data integration, and cross-industry collaboration could improve traceability and help maintain social licence.
This study provides up-to-date benchmarking of the population dynamics of Thoroughbreds bred for flat racing and novel estimates of attainment of career milestones. Findings can directly inform industry traceability strategies that will help maintain its social licence to operate.
Background Analyses of industry-level data suggest that around one-third of the UK and Ireland Thoroughbred foal crop fail to enter training. Prospective follow-up of individual horses could provide...