Thoroghbreds are bred to race, so what good is keeping a horse for 20 years and not racing it.
99% of sound horses have no trouble carrying a 120 lb impost around a racetrack, any more than a 120 lb human would have carrying an extra 12 pounds, hardly a life and death assignment.
In the English Grand National Steeplechase, horses race over 4 1/2 miles and jump 30 fences, some carring weights as high as 160 lbs, so don't underestimate the strength and durability of the horse, just so you can make a point for your opinion.
Bottom line is, fatalities happen in many sports, Motor Racing, Jet Boating, Boxing, Football, Ski Jumping, Water skiing to name a few, and when you take into account the number of horses that face the starter around the world every week, the number that don't return to their stable is minute
