Racehorses Die At Los Alamitos, Santa Anita

LOS ALAMITOS, CA — Two racehorses died, 100 miles apart this week at the southland racetracks, both in training-related incidents, officials reported.

State regulators announced that Los Alamitos Race Course experienced its 17th horse death due to training-related injuries. Santa Anita Race Track has suffered 15 horse fatalities at the track this season.

I Love Sorrento, an unraced 3-year-old colt, died Sunday, according to records kept by the California Horse Racing Board.

Officials at Los Alamitos did not immediately respond to a request for more details.

The current racing season began at Los Alamitos in late December.

Further to the north, at Santa Anita Racetrack—Lightsaber, a 2-year-old filly— died Sunday, also during training.

CHRB spokesman Mike Marten had no further information on what happened to her, and Santa Anita officials did not respond to a request for comment.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the horse broke her left hind leg during morning workouts.

Attending veterinarians determined the injury as unrecoverable, and the horse was euthanized.

She was owned by Eric Kruljac, according to the industry website Equibase. Kruljac was also her trainer, the Times reported.

Santa Anita endured a storm of controversy as 37 horses died in racing or training incidents during the 2018-19 season, causing many animal rights activists to call for an end to the sport in California.

A months-long investigation by state regulators in 2019 found no evidence of illegal medications or procedures. Still, it determined most of the horses had "pre-existing pathology," according to a report by the California Horse Racing Board.

The Arcadia racetrack closed for live racing on March 27, due to the coronavirus outbreak, then reopened for live racing on May 15.

Protocols instituted include: mandatory face masks and daily health screening including temperature checks, mandatory "social distancing" while on the property, increased sanitation procedures, the creation of a "restricted zone" housing jockeys, valets and other essential personnel who must have a negative COVID-19 test to access, and pre-race protocol to increase physical distancing, according to Santa Anita officials.

City News Service, Patch Editor Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.