It is always a difficult task, because every registration for a horse represents a certain level of investment by the owner and the horse’s connections. Sometimes that investment is quite large, such as in stakes races that require travel.
On the other side of the coin is the protection of the horse, and with it the public status of horse racing. The recently collected data indicate that horses scratched by supervising veterinarians often require long-term discharges as a result of such decisions. While each case has its own story, it is safe to say that if a horse is scratched by a licensed veterinarian and then given a long-term discharge, its removal from racing is likely to protect a vulnerable horse.
Thanks to some state jurisdictions offering additional transparency about scratches in recent years, it is now possible to isolate such vet visits. Jurisdictions including Delaware, Kentucky and New York are taking notice when regulatory vets make the call to scratch a horse from a race.
BloodHorse requested and received this information from The Jockey Club. We then looked at these types of scratches in the period from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. In the examined period of that year, there were 13,868 scratches by veterinarians – private or regular veterinarians.
Out of the three states that provide more details, we see that they have 947 of these cases listed as official vet scratches. This is the group we will be looking at: scratches that are listed as scratches by veterinarians during this one-year period. Looking at this group, 233 of the 947 horses scratched by official veterinarians have not returned to racing. That means 25% of horses scratched by official veterinarians in the year ending June 30 did not return to start even once (until December 11, 2025, when we completed this research).
Of the 947 horses scratched by official veterinarians, the average time these horses were away before a race was 135 days. (For scratched horses that had not restarted through December 11, this average counts the days from their scratch date through December 11.)
In addition to specifying when regulatory veterinarians make the decision to scratch a horse, some states provide further details, with “unsound” being one of the stated reasons for veterinarian scratches. When this category filter is added, it yields 586 horses for the one-year period examined. Of this group, where unsoundness was specifically noted, 168 (29%) had not resumed racing by December 11.
In October, Dr. Jeff Blea, equine medical director for the California Horse Racing Board, noted similar numbers across the state that indicate regulatory veterinarians in the Golden State provide important protections. He provided highlights of an extensive analysis of scratches in California, as well as voided deficiency claims after the race.
There were 23 horses scratched during the postal parade in California’s most recent full fiscal year. Of those horses, it took them an average of 108 days to return to the races. Their cohorts took an average of 39 days. Comparing the two groups, we see that the checkered horses took almost three times as long to return.
Ahead of the 2025 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, CHRB Director Scott Chaney applauded the track record of the state’s regulatory vets, noting that instead of praise, they are often criticized by connections.
“My counterparts in other states (also) face pushback from owners and trainers, where challenging the regular veterinarians has become an epidemic,” Chaney said. “I will say this: firstly, vets are becoming increasingly difficult to find. This is in large part due to the difficult conditions in which they have to work. And secondly, such criticism is completely unhelpful and, more importantly, inaccurate.”
To make that point, Chaney provided more details about vet scratches in the state.
“Of the 803 claims in California last year, 109, or 13%, were voided post-race. Of those 109, nearly half were unable to return to the races, and the other half took an average of 148 days to return to racing, compared to the 28 days it took for 95% of their cohorts to return to racing.
“All of this is to say that regulatory veterinarians are extremely accurate in identifying horses at risk,” Chaney added. “Will an otherwise healthy horse be scratched occasionally? Absolutely. However, the statistics show that this is extremely rare, and I am sure it is absolutely worth it when you compare it to the risks and costs to the horse racing industry if a questionable horse is allowed to run, let alone suffer a catastrophic injury.”
Of course, an owner or connection of one of those healthy horses that occasionally get scratched will think very differently about this. But the numbers suggest that at-risk horses are protected by this last line of defense. Perhaps more improvements are possible so that healthy horses are not scratched. For now, Chaney called for more perspective.
“Make no mistake, the scratch of a Breeders’ Cup competitor is heartbreaking for the connections and fans,” he said ahead of the most recent World Championships, “but criticism of the supervising veterinarians is misplaced and ultimately causes damage to the promotion of animal welfare and the image of horse racing in general.”
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