Synthetic surfaces still have the lowest number of catastrophic breakdowns per 1,000 starts when compared to dirt and turf tracks, but overall fatalities for all surfaces didn’t change much from 2009 to 2011, according to Equine Injury Database (EID) statistics.

Tim Parkin, BSc, BVSc, PhD, DECVPH, MRCVS, senior research fellow in Large Animal Clinical Sciences and Public Health at the University of Glasgow School of Veterinary Medicine, presented updated information on the EID Oct. 16 during the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit held at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. Parkin has been involved in the EID since it was launched in July 2008.

The EID now collects information from 94 racetracks representing 92% of all flat racing days and 100% of steeplechase meets in North America. The database has accumulated more than 42,000 records, Parkin said.

For calendar year 2011, the catastrophic injury rate was 1.9 per 1,000 starts on all surfaces, according to the EID. The rate was the lowest for synthetic surfaces at 1.3 per 1,000, a bit higher for turf courses at 1.6 per 1,000, and the highest for dirt tracks at more than 2 breakdowns per 1,000 starts