This last November and December were grim months for the Wolverhampton racecourse at Dunstall Park, UK. Over the course of these two months, five horses were killed while racing on Wolverhampton's all-weather racetrack. When two more horses lost their lives at the track in mid-January, making a total of seven deaths in little over two months, the non-profit charity, Animal Aid, stepped in and strongly voiced their concerns that excessive compaction of the track was directly responsible for the horse fatalities.

Prodded by these concerns, the Horseracing Regulatory Authority undertook an investigational probe, the results of which were recently revealed. According to the report, Wolverhampton management and track caretakers were not found to be negligent. Negating the claims of Animal Aid, the report concluded that it was "highly unlikely" that a change in track conditions or improper maintenance caused the horse fatalities. Nonetheless, Animal Aid has reiterated their concerns that it is "highly unlikely" that seven horses would die in the matter of two months simply by coincidence.

Wolverhampton's racecourse is one of the oldest in the UK. It has been operating since 1887, and was Britain's first floodlit horse racing track. Hosting over 100 fixtures each year, Wolverhampton is one of the busiest racecourses in the UK as well. In 1993, the old-style racecourse was refurbished with a Fibreside track running adjacent to the turf racetrack and floodlights. In 2004, both the Fibreside and turf tracks were replaced by the current all-weather, Polytrack surface that has some people questioning its durability and safety.