Risk factors for jockey falls in Japanese Thoroughbred jump racing.

This study aimed to identify the various risk factors that contribute to jockey falls during Thoroughbred jump races in Japan. Six significant risk factors were identified, including the year, season, direction of the course, sex and experience of the horse, and experience of the jockey.

Study Design and Methodology

• The research conducted was a retrospective case-control study, where previous instances of jockey falls (JFs) were analyzed to identify potential risk factors.
• The team assessed 17,459 maiden-class race starts that took place on eight different racecourses in Japan from 2003 to 2017.
• The data used in this study were derived from a database and official accident reports that were maintained by the Japan Racing Association (JRA).
• To understand the roles of various factors in JF, the study considered a total of 13 possible risk factors. out of these, six were found to be significant following multivariable logistic regression.

Key Findings

• Over the 14-year period being assessed, a total of 724 JFs were recorded. This indicated an incidence rate of 41.5 falls per 1,000 starts.
• The model developed by the researchers included several factors like the stable, horse’s age, year, season, course, horse’s sex and experience, and jockey’s experience. However, no two-way interactions were observed among these factors.
• The study found the following six factors to be significantly associated with the likelihood of JFs: Year (the years 2003-2007 and 2008-2012 resulted in a higher risk than 2013-2017), season (spring, autumn, or winter had a higher risk factor than summer), course type (dual direction courses posed more risk than single direction courses), horse sex (female horses seemed to be more risk-prone than male or geldings), horse’s experience (inexperienced horses were identified as a higher risk than experienced ones), and the jockey’s experience (apprentice jockeys were at higher risk compared to experienced jockeys).

Implications

• The study emphasizes that the threat of JFs is multifactorial and associated with a variety of factors related to the horse, jockey, and environment.
• In order to improve safety measures and reduce the risk of falls, there is a clear need to acknowledge and act upon these identified risk factors.
• The findings of this study align with reports from abroad, further strengthening the argument for the implementation of safety measures based on identified risk factors.