Following the death of a four-year-old racehorse named Superluminal on October 12, 2025, activist groups in Pune have renewed calls for a complete ban on horse racing in India. Among the groups leading this campaign is Erase Horseracing India, a volunteer-driven organisation formed in late 2024 with the stated objective of advocating for the end of horse racing in the country. The group focuses on documenting injuries, deaths, and systemic welfare issues associated with the sport.
According to the organisation, Superluminal was euthanised after sustaining a fracture during a race. Erase Horseracing India says such cases are neither rare nor isolated. The group has been tracking racehorse fatalities since 2024 and reports that multiple deaths occur annually across turf clubs, often due to fractures, training-related injuries, or conditions like colic and laminitis. They state that many deaths go unreported, as only cases published on race club websites are accessible. In 2025 alone, the group has confirmed 23 horse deaths across racecourses in India, based on publicly available data.
The organisation argues that the welfare problems begin long before race day. They highlight practices such as forced breeding, early separation of foals, and breaking-in procedures where horses as young as 18 months are trained despite not having fully developed bones. They also state that racehorses spend 21–23 hours a day confined in 12×12 ft concrete stalls, a condition they say contributes to both physical and behavioural stress. Equipment such as starting gates, they argue, induces fear in horses, which are prey animals that naturally avoid confined spaces. Heat stress, limb fractures, neck and shoulder injuries, and long-term pain among surviving horses were cited as additional concerns.
On November 2, 2025, these concerns culminated in a protest outside the Pune Race Course, co-organised by Erase Horseracing India alongside local animal-rights groups. The demonstration called for an immediate and complete ban on horse racing, rather than incremental reforms. According to the group’s spokesperson, Mr. Rajagopal, the demand is non-negotiable: “Every single horse in this industry is abused from the day they are born until they die.” The organisers also urged the public to boycott horse races and betting as a means to reduce demand for the sport.
When asked whether the group had approached any regulatory authority, Erase Horseracing India said they had requested reports from the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI). However, IT claimed that the information received from authorities has been incomplete, with gaps in documentation and non-transparent reporting. Erase Horseracing India have not yet filed formal complaints with the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC), which manages racing in Pune.
