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Here's a crazy idea for everyone's perusal.
How about fining and/or suspending the trainer if a horse does not finish the race?
Every bettor should be able to expect that all entrants are physically able to complete the race barring unforeseen circumstances. So if a horse does not finish the race due to injury, they basically have been defrauded as to the health of the horse.
Exemptions would be made for horses that clip heels, or are brought down, and trainers would have the option to appeal if a necropsy proves the horse in question did not have any pre-existing injuries.
Considering all the solutions being bandied about, I imagine this one could be the easiest to implement and quickly result in a reduction of crippled animals being prepped primarily to pass the vet and make it to the starting gate.
What I would also love to see is a health passport for every registered thoroughbred. It would start with a full exam including xrays of all limbs prior to a horse's first start, and it would have to be repeated periodically so that a horse would have to be cleared before being allowed to participate in races. In addition, the passport would be updated every time the horse suffers an injury requiring treatment. And the information would be available to the public. If that means the end to claiming races, so be it, that alone would be a step in the right direction.
We cannot make racing 100% safe, but we can make the safety of equines and jockeys of paramount importance.
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