Horse racing has claimed two more lives in a single day, with fatal incidents occurring at both New Plymouth and Christchurch racecourses on Saturday.

Inmyshadow, a nine-year-old gelding, collapsed and died of cardiac arrest shortly after finishing Race 5 at New Plymouth Raceway’s ‘Xtreme Raceday’. On the same day at Riccarton Park Racecourse in Christchurch, six-year-old mare Our Milly Bee suffered a catastrophic fracture to her right fore fetlock and was euthanised on track.

These deaths follow two others within the last month:

• On 30 August, five-year-old gelding El Chapeau was euthanised following a severe tendon injury at Riccarton Park.

• On 23 August, Our Daymo was euthanised after sustaining a fatal pelvic injury at Hawera Racecourse.

That brings the toll to four racehorse deaths in just three weeks - a deeply troubling pattern that raises serious questions about animal welfare within the New Zealand racing industry.

“Every one of these deaths was avoidable,” stated Nick Hancock, spokesperson for the New Zealand branch of Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses. “Pushing horses beyond their physical limits for human profit is cruelty, plain and simple. We should not accept this as the price of entertainment.”

“This is not bad luck - it is the predictable outcome of an industry built on exploitation,” he added. “Horses are dying at alarming rates, yet the authorities continue to treat these fatalities as routine. That has to change.”

“These tragedies highlight the urgent need to end horse-racing altogether,” said Elin Arbez of Animal Save Aotearoa New Zealand. “No amount of regulation can make this industry safe. The only way to protect horses from these brutal deaths is to abolish racing once and for all.”

“As the deaths mount, so too do the questions: how many more horses must be injured or killed before meaningful change occurs?” asked Sandra Kyle, who is standing in the Whanganui local elections for Animal Justice Party New Zealand.

“We call on the Racing Integrity Board, the New Zealand Government, and relevant animal welfare authorities to urgently investigate these fatalities and commit to a transparent review of current safety standards, training practices, and oversight mechanisms within the horse racing industry.

The lives of these animals depend on it.”

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