Oaklawn Park in Arkansas is – in terms of money, history and all that – one of the top tracks in America. It is also, at least in the first three months of 2026, one of the deadliest.
According to HISA’s Q1 “report,” 14 horses were killed on-track: 5 racing, 9 training. But there’s more to it than just that. First, HISA only tracks and reports racing/training kills – the stall variety need not apply. And because we have been completely shut out in Arkansas (and Florida), with the state commission there saying its horsemen/track only report to HISA now, the number of stall victims are, and will ever remain, unknown. Bottom line, the Q1 death toll at Oaklawn is almost certainly higher than the reported 14.
Second, we only get quarterly numbers from HISA, so except for some of the racing confirmations I get elsewhere, the names of the dead will also be forever secreted away. (HISA, I remind, is not subject to FOIA.) “Unprecedented transparency”? A (bad) joke.
Wanda , some states are even worse. Our state, Oregon does not participate in HISA`s rules! Since we have no interstate wagering on our bull ring tracks there is no requirement to abide by HISA`s rules.
The Arkansas Racing Commission enabled Bob Baffert in his drugging and doping scandals. The disqualifications of specific horses were reversed but the fines were still required to be paid. Trainers are ultimately responsible for the condition of the horses in their charge.
Horses suffering from colic and laminitis at racetracks is as much a part of racing as horses suffering from bleeding lungs and broken bones, but not necessarily at the same rate. Mathematically speaking, there could be a ratio. I don’t have enough information to know the ratio of horses dying from broken bones and bleeding lungs to dying of colic, laminitis, pneumonia, and several other conditions that cause unimaginably horrific suffering in horses when confined to the miserably small square footage of a stall and the owners and trainers sometimes just let them suffer instead of providing appropriate care in a timely manner.
Arkansas most likely had some sick horses that died from whatever sickness the unfortunate horses suffered from. A person would have to be extremely gullible to believe that racehorses receive “amazing care” and that’s that. Horses are treated like chattel.