Thing is, most people who disagree with horseracing really dont know much about horses in general. I spent years working in non-racing stables and you are hard pressed to find people in the equine world who are against it.

The horses are very well looked after, and despite the media reports to the contrary, deaths are actually not that common. The average over 30 years is declining thanks to more stringent safety measures at tracks, but the likelihood of fatal accident or injury on the flat is 0.02% and over jumps is 0.17%.

20% of those are something called SCD (sudden cardiac death), we dont really understand it and at this time we cannot prevent it. All's we know is it is exercise induced and geldings tend to be far more likely to succumb to it, the two at Cheltenham recently were both geldings.

As opposed to a heart attack where the heart does an irregular rhythm restricting oxygen rich blood, with SCD the heart just stops. But calling for a ban on racing because of SCD is contrary to the science, vets actually advise regularly galloping horses. It is a bit like humans with the gym, doctors advise regular exercise, but it does come with a slightly increased risk of illness or injury, but on balance it is recommended.