CPR's DeathWatch Reports
The DeathWatch Report is CPR’s annual publication of deaths suffered by thoroughbred racehorses during each racing year in Australia.
The Australian racing industry is not required to publish the number of horses who die or are killed every year as a result of racing. However, CPR believe the public has a right to be informed about how many horses are sacrificed in the name of gambling and profit in an industry that is heavily subsidised by Australian taxpayers.
Since 2014 CPR has been monitoring the public Stewards Reports for catastrophic injuries and deaths of thoroughbreds on racetracks across all Australian states for each racing year (1 August - 31 July). We publish our findings in our annual DeathWatch Report.
In addition to the deaths identified via the Steward Reports, CPR’s DeathWatch data includes deaths that we have been made aware of via media reports and industry informants.
All horse deaths and the causes of death published in our DeathWatch Report has been confirmed via public records, official racing authorities or directly with the trainer or owner of the implicated horse.
It is important to note that the deaths reported in DeathWatch are far from the full number of thoroughbreds killed as a result of racing. There are no Stewards Reports for race trials, trackwork and training, and we are only able to trace and include a fraction of the deaths that occur off the racetrack.
In January 2025 CPR requested information under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) (“GIPA Act”) from Racing NSW about the horses who were killed from racing including off the racetrack during the 2023/24 racing year. The number of racehorse deaths provided by Racing NSW as a result of our GIPA application, was almost three times as many as CPR had been able to identify via public records.
The many incidents of catastrophic injuries sustained by racehorses during training and races are not, as the racing industry would like the public to believe, unfortunate accidents.
The far majority of deaths and injuries are a direct result of pushing the horses too far, too fast, and from way too young an age.
Racehorses begin race training years before their bodies have fully matured and the intensity of race training puts excessive strain on their immature structures and ligaments.
The additional force to perform enabled by painful bits, whipping, and an array of extra equipment designed to prohibit the horses’ natural defence mechanisms, heighten the risk of injuries even further.
Below are a few case stories from Queensland included in our 2025 DeathWatch report.
CPR encourages everyone to help holding the racing industry accountable for the deaths and suffering of racehorses by providing information about any misconducts or incidents you witness on or off the racetracks that are not available in the Steward Reports.
We understand the risk of providing information from inside the racing industry, and we have never and we will never divulge our informants.
View or Download our DeathWatch Reports
