A task force has determined the spate of fatal racehorse breakdowns at New York City-area Aqueduct Racetrack this past winter was primarily the result of structural deficiencies in rules and regulations employed by the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and the New York State Racing and Wagering Board (NYSRWB).

The task force’s 100-page report was released Sept. 28 in conjunction with a press conference called by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The task force began its work in April, and there were several delays in the release of the final report.

The report makes many recommendations, including but not limited to, the NYSRWB hiring an equine medical director; requiring necropsies on dead horses and implementing protocol for the examinations; having veterinarians report to the NYRA chief executive officer, not the NYRA racing office; reducing the ratio of purse to claiming price; and tightening regulation of commonly used therapeutic medications.

Task force members said they found no evidence of "illegal or illicit" activity that led to 21 catastrophic breakdowns from Nov. 30, 2011 to March 18 of this year. But they also noted that in 11 of the 21 breakdowns, there were "missed opportunities for intervention," said task force member Scott Palmer, DVM, a surgeon at the New Jersey Equine Clinic