New technology implemented for racehorse safety ahead of Belmont at Saratoga

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at the Saratoga Race Course kicks off Thursday for the first of a two-year stay in the Capital Region. With all eyes on the Spa City for the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority — or HISA — spoke with Spectrum News 1 about the safety measures in place to protect the racehorses.

New this year, HISA has partnered with a technology company to develop a model that identifies at-risk horses. It looks at every horse on each race card, compared against 44 risk factors. Horses are assigned a score, which is delivered to the veterinarians who examine the horses prior to each race. Lazarus says they are essentially able to guarantee that a horse is fit to race with this technology.

Before HISA was created in 2020, horse racing was governed state by state, meaning different safety rules for each leg of the Triple Crown. HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus said having a federally mandated set of rules has been critical for the longevity of the sport.

“In order for horse racing to flourish, survive, be here in decades to come — we need to keep the horses safe. Having a uniform set of rules that are rigorous across safety and anti-doping are absolutely critical for that to happen,” said Lazarus.

According to New York State Gaming Commission data, nine horses died during Saratoga’s 2022 meet, and 15 horses died last year. After significant rainfall in Saratoga in 2023, HISA says they couldn’t rule out weather as a possible contributing factor in 13 of those deaths. HISA is now working with a racetrack testing laboratory to understand the impact of weather on the track and how to mitigate possible impacts.

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival runs June 6-9. Opening Day for the regular season at Saratoga Race Course is July 11.