The Santa Anita Racetrack suspended racing through at least March 10 after 21 horses in the track died in the last 10 weeks.
Track officials told the Associated Press they wanted to be “very proactive” and thoroughly test the track’s surface after a series of heavy rains.
Tim Ritvo chief executive of The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita said races would not be held through March 10 including the Santa Anita Handicap, a race with a $600,000 purse. He did not say when racing would resume.
The move comes after a 4-year-old filly trained by Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally had a serious spill during morning workouts on the main track and was put down, Santa Anita officials said. The Los Angeles area has had an unusually rainy winter with a reported 16 inches of rain falling on Arcadia, the home of the track, from Dec. 26 through last week.
McAnally suggested to the racing magazine BloodHorse that the effect of the heavy rains on the track could be a factor in the horse deaths.
“Weather is the cause of all of this. I loved that filly,” McAnally told the racing magazine after the horse was euthanized because of a shattered sesamoid bone. “I bought her at the sale. I feel as bad as anybody, but that’s the first I had. I wanted to cry when we had to put her down.”
There were 10 horse deaths at Santa Anita from Dec. 26 to Feb. 25 of 2017-18, eight in 2016-17 in that same period and 14 in 2015-16, according to data from the California Horse Racing Board.
However, after 19 deaths this season, Santa Anita shut down its main racing surface for 2 1/2 days to inspect the track for any deformities. The course was declared fit, but two more horses then died, prompting the latest closure, the AP reported.
