Two Racehorses Die At Santa Anita Park Bringing Death Toll To 36

ARCADIA, CA —Two racehorses died at Santa Anita Park this weekend, bringing the death toll of the embattled racetrack to 36 fatalities.

In any other sport, this would be considered a travesty of epic proportions, protesters say. Still, Santa Anita prepares for the famed the Breeders Cup. The track, and the sport in general, has been under heavy scrutiny since the rash of deaths at Santa Anita started garnering more media attention this year than in seasons past.

The California Horse Racing Board announced Thursday it will issue a report in December on the racing and training fatalities during Santa Anita Park's winter/spring seasons that could provide strategies to avoid similar equine injuries.

During the 2019 fall meet, which began Sept. 27, Santa Anita has seen four racehorse deaths at the track.

Ky. Colonel, a 5-year-old gelding, collapsed and died from an apparent heart attack jogging on the inner training track Oct. 6. Three others were humanely euthanized after suffering injuries during racing or training.

Satchel Paige, a 3-year-old gelding, was euthanized after breaking his left front ankle during a race Oct. 19.

GQ Covergirl, a 6-year-old mare, injured her front two legs while running on the training track and was euthanized.

Bye Bye Beautiful, a 2-year-old filly making just her second career start, suffered a foreleg injury less than a half-mile from the wire in Sunday's third race and was euthanized.

"As mandated by the California Horse Racing Board, Bye Bye Beautiful will undergo a necropsy at the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine," according to an official statement from The Stronach Group, which owns the track. " ...The thoughts of the team at The Stronach Group and Santa Anita go out to everyone who cared for the filly, including trainer J. Eric Kruljac and his staff."

Veterinary personal, safety stewards and others involved in track safety have been accumulating and analyzing the information to come to an understanding of how each death occurred in order to identify any common characteristics or causes and develop strategies for preventing similar injuries in the future, according to Mike Marten, the public information officer for the California Horse Racing Board.

According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo, "all eyes will be focused on Santa Anita racetrack for the Breeders' Cup this weekend."

"We still have no results from the district attorney or prosecutions for cruelty to animals, and we're missing crucial information about why these horses died," Guillermo said.

Though PETA concedes that Santa Anita has taken "extraordinary measures to protect horses," (the race track) can't criminally investigate trainers and veterinarians for the deaths of Bye Bye Beautiful and the other horses.

"Law enforcement must do this," Guillermo said. "PETA again calls on the district attorney's office to release its findings of its investigation into the deaths of the horses immediately and hold those responsible accountable. Further delay puts all the Breeders' Cup horses at even greater risk."

Board investigators have issued more than 120 subpoenas for records and are continuing to review all cases for any CHRB rule or criminal violations, Marten said. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has undertaken a parallel investigation.