The 29th thoroughbred horse death at the Santa Anita Racetrack since December has prompted California Governor Gavin Newsom to call for officials to suspend races there until veterinarians can figure out what’s causing the carnage.
The governor issued a statement last week that he had asked the state racing board to suspend races until veterinarians can inspect the premises and guarantee the safety of the animals.
The horse deaths since December is higher than the total number at the track in all of 2018. Some attribute this to the extremely wet conditions that have prevailed this year in the Golden State, where rainfall has been close to three times the annual total.
Newsom’s statement said “I continue to be troubled by the horse deaths at Santa Anita Park. Enough is enough. I am calling on the California Horse Racing Board to ensure that no horse races until they are examined by independent veterinarians and found fit to compete.” He continued, “As Santa Anita prepares to host the 2019 Breeders’ Cup in November, we must show the horse racing world that California puts safety first.”
In March the historic Southern California track suspended activities “indefinitely” after the 21st horse death. Then it reopened and another eight horses have since then suffered injuries that required them to be euthanized.
In May, after a horse was euthanized following what was described as an “unusual” shoulder injury, the owners of the track, the Stronach Group, pledged an investigation. It released a statement about the death of the 3-year-old: “Equine shoulder injuries are rare, especially for a horse that is galloping as opposed to breezing or racing. A comprehensive evaluation will be completed to understand what might have caused this uncommon injury.”
Tim Ritvo, Santa Anita’s chief operating officer, in March told ESPN “The tracks out here are built not for weather like that.” Rainfall and cold weather in the normally sunny state extended way past the norm this year.
In the most recent horse casualty a 4-year old thoroughbred called Formal Dude fell in the home stretch on June 8. A veterinarian found that the gelding had sustained an injury to his pelvis, which mandated euthanasia.
The next day Truffalino, a 3-year old filly collapsed and died on the track after apparently suffering a heart attack.
Since the public became aware of the large number of horse deaths, the Stronach Group, the Thoroughbred Owners of California and the California Thoroughbred Trainers have tried to put as good a face on the problem as possible. They noted that since the track reopened in March that injuries causing euthanasia were cut in half during races and decreased 84 percent during training.
A combined statement continued, “A detailed and serious epidemiological investigation of all track accidents is underway and will continue with the greatest urgency. Track management, owners, trainers, and veterinarians are re-doubling their vigilance and close supervision of both training and racing protocols and will consider all enhancements to the sweeping new protocols already introduced. We have great respect for Governor Newsom and the CHRB, and we look forward to working closely with them as we continue to discuss these issues.”
But apparently the most recent casualty was the last straw for the governor, who asked the CHRB to suspend races until further notice.
