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An average of 1,000 horses die a year on the race tracks, many from horrific breaks because of drug abuses. Some of the largest and deadliest tracks are being kept alive with billions in state subsidies, we found. Our “Dying to Race” stories exposed the dark side of horse racing across the nation, leading one New Jersey lawmaker to propose a bill that would provide millions of dollars to improve track safety and expanded veterinarian care for racehorses. The issue we had tapped into became so apparent for immediate action that Kentucky banned one commonly used drug and a national consortium of racers formed a horse safety commission two weeks after the story ran, as federal lawmakers talked of national oversight laws.