27th Racehorse Dies At Santa Anita Race Track, 4th Since May

ARCADIA, CA —It has been six weeks of quiet at Santa Anita Racetrack until a young colt suffered a life-ending injury during training, Wednesday morning, according to Ruben Gomez, the horse's trainer.

River Derby fractured a shoulder whilerunning at a gallop, Gomez told the Los Angeles Times. The horse was euthanized at Chino Valley Equine Hospital, a leading specialist in the area.

California Horse Racing Board Spokesman Mike Marten declared the incident an "on-track training death" and the horse's death will count in the growing list of statistics.

According to the report, there was nothing Chino Valley Equine could do to save River Derby. Gomez told the Times: "It can be a common injury in babies. He just came up from Florida."

According to the Times, the 27th equine death might halt Santa Anita's chances at keeping the Breeder's Cup. That decision won't be made until the last week in June, the Times reported.

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