Since the EID began collecting data in 2009, there has been a 16% drop in the rate across all surfaces, an 11% drop on dirt, a 38% drop on turf, and a 17% drop on synthetic surfaces. | Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse

An analysis of data from the Equine Injury Database (EID) for 2018 resulted in an aggregated fatal injury rate of of 1.68 per 1,000 starts for Thoroughbred racehorses, The Jockey Club announced March 22.

In 2017 the corresponding rate was 1.61 per 1,000 starts.

Tim Parkin, BSc, BVSc, PhD, DECVPH, MRCVS, a veterinarian and epidemiologist from the University of Glasgow, in Scotland, and an EID consultant, performed the analysis and concluded that the year-over-year aggregate increase was not statistically