27th Racehorse Dies At Los Alamitos Race Course

CYPRESS, CA — Celtic Miracle, a 3-year-old filly, died following injuries sustained in the 5th race on Friday at the Los Alamitos Race Course.

The California Horse Racing Board confirmed that the filly was injured in the fifth round and is the 27th racehorse to perish after training or racing at the Orange County race track.

Owners Connie Nutt and Turner Farms hired trainer Paul Jones in the training of Celtic Miracle.

Jones has had three horses die at Los Alamitos this year: Bob E McGee suffered fatal injuries Sept. 13, and Lyell Be Back was injured Jan. 10 and died two days later.

Celtic Miracle ran 12 races in her career, winning once and finishing second in two others. She finished last in Friday's race before being vanned off, later euthanized, they said.

According to a preliminary assessment, she injured her right fetlock, a joint similar to the ball of the foot. A postmortem examination will determine the official nature of the injury, according to CHRB spokesman Mike Marten.

Los Alamitos is holding nighttime quarter horse racing without fans due to the coronavirus.

The track was placed on probation by the CHRB in July in response to this year's spate of horse deaths, essentially putting the facility at risk of having its racing permits suspended. The CHRB later signed off on a plan aimed at bolstering safety and equine-oversight at the facility.

The plan included adding another veterinarian to be a "roving observer of horses in training, while entering, exiting, or on the track," as well as a "security steward" who oversees veterinary and barn practices.

The new plan also included an "entry review panel" of experts who have the authority to scratch horses for races.

Since the probation, at least eight more horses have died at that track, five from racing injures and three from causes listed by the CHRB as "other."