17/06/2026

A fire that broke out yesterday afternoon destroyed a stable block at the Sant’Artemio racecourse. Six horses were killed by the smoke and flames whilst trapped in their stalls. The entire structure subsequently collapsed. The fire brigade arrived with five vehicles, but it was too late for the horses.

IHP has lodged a complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office to establish who, if anyone, is responsible for what may well have been a foreseeable accident.

Indeed, the Treviso racecourse has been at the centre of controversy and complaints regarding the safety and management of its facilities, in particular concerning: access points left open and unmonitored, structural hazards (including in the stabling area), and repeated faults in the electrical systems.

It is no coincidence that the fire brigade’s initial findings appear to suggest that a short circuit originating in an electrical panel triggered the fire, which then spread to the straw and hay inside, eventually engulfing the entire wooden structure.

The Municipality of Treviso, which owns the racecourse, had set out specific guidelines for the upgrading and bringing up to standard of the facility when the concession was last renewed for the current operator – Nordest Ippodromi SpA, headed by Stefano Bovio – in July 2024. In particular, the required works concerned:

- Bringing the electrical systems up to standard, particularly those located in the stables, which are notoriously very old;
- Fire prevention systems, with particular attention to areas used for storing highly flammable materials such as hay and straw;
- Perimeter security and access control, to prevent unauthorised entry by outsiders and the risk of horses escaping;
- Refurbishment of the stalls and stables, including the removal of deteriorated pillars and sharp or protruding structural elements within the stables.

There is, however, no mention of these long-standing structural issues in the initial public statements made by the mayor of Treviso, Mario Conte, who yesterday merely expressed his deep dismay and the city’s condolences in an official statement focusing on the tragedy.

We have forwarded to the Public Prosecutor’s Office the press articles and statements that have appeared on social media in recent months, evidence which would demonstrate that the racecourse’s structural problems and the associated risks, including the risk of fire, had already come to the attention of Nordest Ippodromi SpA, the Municipality of Treviso and the Directorate-General for Horse Racing of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (MASAF), which has also allocated nearly 860,000 euros in grants to the racecourse for the year 2025.

We have asked the judicial authorities to investigate whether the short circuit found was caused by a purely accidental event or whether there were shortcomings or omissions in the maintenance of the electrical systems, particularly in light of the documented knowledge of the building’s structural weaknesses.

As always, we must point out that the six horses died partly because they were confined to a stall, rather than being managed in accordance with their ethological needs – that is, free to roam in large spaces and in the company of their own kind.

(images: Fire Brigade)