Six horse deaths at Southwell Racecourse in just three days’ racing

In a catastrophic afternoon’s race meeting, horses Avarchie, Swarez and Booyakasha all lost their lives on Monday 24 August. Lost On You and Croco Bay died there on 10 August, and on 30 July Elysian Prince lost his young life.

This brings the total number of horses to have died there since the start of Animal Aid’s Race Horse Death Watch to 71 victims on the National Hunt Course, whilst a further 33 have perished on its All-Weather course. It also had the highest number of victims of any British racecourse in 2019 and that trend looks to continue.

The racing industry, under the control of the British Horseracing Authority, is failing the horses who race at the Nottinghamshire course, as no action appears to be taking place to stem this tide of deaths – despite its shocking historical record.

Says Animal Aid’s Horse Racing Consultant, Dene Stansall:

‘If these deaths had occurred at the Cheltenham Festival or at the Grand National the racing industry would be forced to act as the information would be out in the public domain. At provincial Southwell no such concern is evident. Perhaps the lives of these horses were simply disposable commodities. Unless racing stands up to its horse welfare responsibilities it, equally, can expect no respect from the general public, who are turning their backs on this so-called sport.’ 

 

• For horse deaths at Southwell and other British racecourses visit Race Horse Death Watch