Just read an article that they closed the track due and suspect that the horses are having trouble due to the ground and that the ground issues may be due to weather. Just an interesting thing to read about since we barrel racers are never 100% satisfied with the ground lol.

They were aware early on because I remember reading about it some time ago.  Took the lives of 21 horses to wake them up.  

Some tracks probably lose 21 a week and don't think anything of it. A family friend used to have race horses in Chicago and he'd give away or euthanize 5-6 a year with broken legs, never batted an eye. Just replaced them & claimed they were euthanized for insirance to pay for the next. I remember going up once into the barns with him and there were jsut as many crippled ones as sound(ish) ones. It was sad, I'll never forget that day. You can go up even now and mention you want to purchase one that isn't running anymore and you'll have 50 horses for $200-500 each offered to you within an hour. I don't like rqce tracks or the sport at all, especially the little tracks like this one 

Read that also this morning. I was glad to hear they are trying to get it figured out. I was a fan of horse racing and still love to see talented horses run, but I don't enjoy going to the track anymore. In one day I saw 3 horses break down. A truck whisked out each time with huge curtains to hide euthanasia and the animal was loaded and taken away and everyone went on about their business as if nothing happened. What makes me super sad is the feeling that most of these animals are disposeable to their owners/trainers. 

^^^^ 

This---saw three in one day, two in one race   I said never again.  Everyone just laughing and drinking and irritated cause of the delay.  Pitiful. 

I used to love watching horse racing, and followed it closely, but no longer. I  love to watch horses run, but the horse racing industry as a whole is very disturbing. 

Santa Anita is not a little track. It is one of the biggest tracks in the US....

From the article that I read it seems like over the last three years the numbers crept up in horses having to be put down and then sky rocketed after December. That is concerning. 

I do hate that some seem like their horses are disposable, but there are the others that LOVE their horses and protect them to the best of their ability.

i try to always look at the positive things in life, like that they are looking into this, otherwise with so much negative in the world I would be depressed all the time. 

Why I don’t like it either. 

I'm aware of that, thanks 

Maybe just maybe its because they are running 2 year olds full speed and making their small boned bodies do what they were not designed for. 

Seriously people...just stop. Many of you are voicing opinions that have no merit. It’s not about running 2 year olds. In most cases at Santa Anita...something appears to be off with the surface. They’ve had a lot of rain. The main surface guy left in December. The surface has been there for 9 years. All of the sudden, horses are breaking down left and right. Something is clearly wrong with the surface. Horses aren’t breaking down on the training track. They aren’t breaking down on the turf. It’s pretty much happening on the main dirt track.

A similar thing happened at Arapahoe Park years ago. New surface, record times, following season...lots of horses breaking down. They re-evaluated the surface, changed it, break downs stopped.

We are talking about a horrible situation at Santa Anita that could cost the livelihood of numerous people. The deaths of these horses are horrible and tragic. People losing their incomes is also just as tragic. 

I did see where Dr Allred at Los Al has offered his track to help out. For those of you that don’t follow racing, Allred has the toughest drug policies of just about any track in the nation. If a trainer gets suspended an some other track, they aren’t welcome at Los Al.

https://www.speedhorse.com/spotlights/m.blog/101/allred-offers-to-run-santa-anita-race-dates-at-los-alamitos?platform=hootsuite

I agree with SKM. Santa Anita is one of the biggest name tracks on the west coast, and you can darn sure bet they want to remedy this situation without injuring any more horses. If you’ve looked at the Los Al track recently, they’ve also been inundated with rain, but they still have their grounds crew that know how to handle and work the track. Those folks are worth their weight in salt, that’s for sure. I say kudos to Santa Anita for clearly recognizing there is a problem with their track and doing the responsible thing to get it back up to grade. It’s absolutely tragic that it took 21 horses losing their lives for this to happen, but when you have owners and trainers pressuring the SA bigwigs to keep running races so their horses can continue to win, I can see the tough spot it put SA in to make this call. If anything, they are doing the right thing for the horse in this case.

That is what I've heard as well. The weather has been horrible and trying to keep the track in good condition has been a struggle. Going from wet and sloppy to too hard. 

Thank you for being a voice of reason.

Unfortunately.  Horses are not only being lost on the main dirt track. "Seven deaths have occurred during races on the dirt oval at Santa Anita since the track’s winter meet began on Dec. 26. Five have occurred on the turf course and nine came during training on dirt."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/horseracing/2019/03/05/horse-deaths-santa-anita-race-track-california-rise-21/3074056002/

Though weather and bad conditions may play a role for the turf as well.  But it's pretty appalling nevertheless. One article reported the statistic that there were 1.61 deaths per 1,000 starts in the U.S. in 2017.  Imagine if we had such losses in barrel racing or any other equine discipline.  We would be very concerned.  We would look at a lot more than the dirt conditions at one venue.  We'd look at how/when the horses are started, care, breeding, training methods etc etc. And perhaps they are doing that.  But this negative attention will affect the perception of racing and all other equine sports by extension.  That is a concern also.

Did all of these horses have life ending injuries that could not be successfully rehabbed for the horse to be comfortable, possibly even ridden in other diciplines?  Or were some of them simply career ending and therefore the animal was euthanized to save money?  

My point was that losses in the racing industry in general are huge and it's very nonchalant, it's normal to 98% of tracks to have horses euthanized daily. Yeah this is a bigger track with higher dollar horses, I simply stated I was glad that they are making an effort to acknoweldge something is wrong & maybe trying to fix. Which is 150% more effort than most any other tracks would do. The guy I knew euthanized 3 with minor hairline fractures that would have been riding sound for someone in 6-10 months for the inusrance money, in one day. You get more back when you euthanize them. Two he claimed euthanized and gave away to someone who was willing to make the under the table deal with him. Thatw as my second day visiting the track.  By the time he retired from it  he admitted to having euthanized over 50 horses for the insurance moiney and said he was probably the one who did it the least, this was Arlington in Chicago. Most claim them as euthanized and put them on the meat truck, never to be seen again. I realize there's a significant difference in the quality of racing & price of horses between these two tracks, but it's nice they're at least acknowledging a problem. I don't mind the larger scale operations that spend fortunes and win triple crowns & belmonts, etc. Those horses are cared for on a much higher level than the rest of the tracks. It's the little guys and all the insurance fraud & unneccary euthanasia at those that turn me off. The ones pumping them with cocaine at the match tracks where theres no regulations at all. I'd still go watch the Kentucky Derby or major race like that though. 

things must have really changed as when i rode at los al and san mateo it was the oddity not the norm.

very  rare  this was 70 thru 75

vicky stewart

"Every time you point a finger in scorn—there are three remaining fingers pointing right back at you.”

The equine industry is all tied together weather you understand that or not. Those who are quick to share their horror stories about the track might want to rethink what track they are going to, because like barrel racing there are different levels in the game and with that come good owners and trainers, then the bad ones.  The tragic events that have happened at Santa Anita is not being taken lightly. There was a so called changing of the guard at SA at the start of the season and they seemed to have let a lot fail. Then there is all of the rain. The gentleman that use to groom SA is coming back with a lot of others that are there to Fix it. 

IF we don't dig a little deeper to understand what is actually happening your just adding gas onto a fire with your uneducated opinions. There is bad in all aspects of the equine industry I don't think I need to type it all out for you. 

Peta is licking their chops on this, and if they get a hold of dismantling T/B horse racing no other equine sport will survive, it will be a matter of time for all of it.

SO hang on, be supportive and lets hope we all survive this.

Flameaway.....oh wait one of my favorite race horses! lol

Bravo! THANK YOU! You are exactly right. If racing fails, every other discipline that is equine and/or rodeo related will fail shortly after. ALL equestrians need to stand up for other disciplines or we will ALL fail. 

Having been around awhile and participated in many disciplines, I can honestly say that the D barrel racers tend to be the Mean Girls of the equine industry. Especially when it comes to talking smack about other disciplines. 

I'll be the first one to admit, I truly know nothing about horse racing, other than what I read or watch here and there. I dont particularly follow it and honestly have never been to a track... any horse race I've watched has been on TV. I've been struggling with this, pretty much all day though , 21 horses ... that's a lot..  and to come on here and to tell people that commented that their opinion is uneducated or doesnt count because they dont know this or that about the racetrack seems a bit unfair. 21 horses are dead.. and they are finally going to take action. Peta.. I'm sorry no matter what happens they will always find a flaw in any equine sport... this doesnt help .. I'm not defending peta but I'm also not going to defend the track for letting it go this far. It's their own **** fault .. in this fiasco, remember , the euthanized horses are the victim. 

Your battle cry seems to be the word euthanized. It happens more than you think at many equine events.

I am sorry I should have not use the word uneducated. Your opinion is valued.

I just hope you get that we all need to stand behind the industry, even if we disagree. I know I hate the ability of breeding mares/harvesting eggs that are now allowing them to have litters per year, and with stallions that have been dead for over a decade. 

If we dam it all like we are innocent, we are usually going to feel it when it takes that turn.

No battle cry intended.. 21 horse are dead.. euthanized or killed or whatever you want to call it..  I respectively disagree with you and a few others on the matter. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and just because it's not the same as yours doesnt mean its unmerited or irrelevant OR uneducated. I feel its pretty safe to say, majority of us on this board love horses and care about their wellbeing and seeing something like this definitely brings out the emotions in us ... justifiably so. While we dont have to always agree on every aspect of it, we can and should respect one another's opinion. 

Well said in your last 2 posts.  Very well said

I've been to playdays, barrel runs, rodeos, reining events, cutting events of ALL sizes and ages, sortings, and trail rides to name a few.   I have seen 1 horse in all those events in all those years have an incident that required her to be hand carried/lifted in the trailer by spectators and participants; this was at a buckle series, and we learned the next weekend she had to be euthanized.   There was a very noticeable feeling of sadness that weekend at the event.  I have never been to a track that I didn't see at least 1 horse lose its life. Every time I went.  Granted, we only went twice a year, but that was more than enough.   And it was looked at as business as usual.  Move that body, next race, run em again.  I was nauseated, and most everyone around me was laughing and going to get drinks or food or the bathroom during "the lull."   I by no means think that owners and trainers delight in these deaths, but there is such a huge disparity in the number of track deaths compared to other horse disciplines.   I'm glad they're looking for a way to stop this at SA, but I don't know that we have "to stand behind the industry" while there are still horses dying for our pleasure in these numbers.  I've been accused of being too soft, but that's just how I feel.  

I think we have to look at the sheer number of horses at the track, I can't think of a single playday that draws very many.  They're doing the best they can to be pro-active and fix the problem.  I've seen horses have to be put down at rodeos, barrel races, ropings - it's awful - but accidents happen.  We do the best we can and sometimes it's not enough.  The laws of probability kick in and when you make enough runs, accidents will happen.  Don't think for one minute that it's only racehorses..... we all love barrel racing, it's a speed event... happens there too and more often than you'd think. I had one break his leg leaving the roping box - it hadn't rained in 2 weeks, surface hadn't changed...nothing. Never had anything like that happen before in that arena in 30 years and never have had it again.  He was a healthy 8 year old gelding.  When you add speed - things can unfortunately happen.

I've spent a lot of time on racetracks, trainers, jockeys, grooms - they grieve when they lose a horse.  Judging them by the demeanor of the people in the stands - seems extremely judgemental.  These are really nice expensive animals running at SA, the owners and trainers aren't going to intentionally put them in harm's way.

We lost a nice 2 year old last fall - tied to the patience pole where he'd been spending time during the day for a month, he was on dirt in a safe enviroment.  Something spooked him and he set back and fractured his hip.  Nothing could be done - it was an accident.  Not because he was abused in any fashion - just bad luck.

fat chance and i both have wirked and rode at the tracks.

you think we spoil our barrel horses  grooms sleep with theses horses  these horses are not pampered but taken well taken care of  i rode bushtracks in the midwest also they were taken care of hell i rode long yearlings in races

in the 6 years i rode   i bet i never saw more than a handful be put down  

I'm definitely not naive to the fact that this happens in every equine sport. It's a tragedy when it does. I'm glad the track is doing something about it. I pray they get it figured out and safe for the horses running. I was reminded of a time we were at a rodeo a bareback horse rammed head first into the wall while bucking and knocked itself clean out.. I'd say about 75% of the folks at the rodeo were not "livestock people" if you know what I mean, I cant think of the word. They were just there to spectate once a year at this big rodeo in our town... your average folks that live in the city and come to watch the cowboys and bulls type.. anyway, the horse got towed out still not moving ... at the end of the rodeo they turned a horse loose in the arena and made an announcement that the horse woke up and was just fine with a little headache .. the people in the stands were clapping and cheering as this horse zoomed around the pen ... it wasnt the same horse guys... but it made all those folks feel better.. .. I know accidents can and will happen, it's just part of it. The only issue I take from this is why they waited so long to do something and then it gets put out there and people get upset that people are upset. 

All I have to say is this is just a very sad thing  :(   The first track I ever went to was santa anita. That was in the 70's. I went to watch Affirmed run. It was after he won the triple crown. He was amazing. He won that day :)  Santa Anita is a beautiful place. It defintally is not a small track. As for peta, well they are wacko's anyway. I hope this problem with horses getting hurt can get resolved. 

I’m pretty sure I’m the one that said a lot of people’s opinion isn’t valid. I’ve put a lot of thought into this.

Whenever you are dealing with athletic competition, there are going to be injuries. How many football players, basketball players, baseball players are injured each year? Pro, semi pro, college, high school. You are pushing a body and sometimes that body breaks. Horses, dogs...the same thing happens.

As a person that prides themselves as being a horseman, I feel that if you truly care about your equine partner and you are supporting an industry (whether it be barrel racing, flat track racing, team roping, showing, etc), you owe the equine industry the benefit of the doubt. If I’m at a rodeo (or barrel race, or flat track race) and something catastrophic happens, common sense tells us that the person there just to watch as their one time a year local thing outing...of course they aren’t going to know exactly why or what happened. They just know it was bad and resulted in injury or death. But I’m a horseman. I’ve been in the industry. I know sh!t happens. 

In the case of Santa Anita...as a horseman...I owe an equine industry not to have a PeTA type knee jerk reaction. The numbers are WAY off. Common sense should tell us this. It wasn’t like the numbers were steadily rising. 21 horses since December? That’s not normal. I’m not going to trash racing. I’m not going to assume they weren’t doing anything. If it interests me, I'm going to research so I know what’s going on. Any idiot can google (I’m referring to myself here because I’m not tech savvy).

So when I come to BHW and see people that I normally respect, making asinine statements of something they clearly know nothing about in this particular niche of the equine industry...you can bet I’m going to tell them their opinion isn’t valid since they obviously don’t care enough to question what’s wrong with the numbers. They are just assuming track people don’t care and are knocking off horses for whatever reason.

You can’t compare injuries in humans who make the choice to compete and risk injury to using an animal and knowlingly put them at unexeptable risks of injury.   Humans, most anyway, take as many precautions as they can to minimize risk of accident or injury.

In my area dumping race track horses at kill pens is a huge problem so much so that tracks have said they will ban owners/trainers  who do this but they do not enforce it.   I am not blaming the overpopulation of horses at kill pens on the race track industry but it’s very disheartening to see a trailer load of healthy horses unloaded at kill pen auctions, some with the lip tattoos chemically removed.   It is difficult to accept the disposable commodity attitude in trying to find that special horse.  My SIL works directly with a race horse rescue group, I have witnessed these trailers myself. The bad apples are giving the industry a very bad rep. All disciplines need to govern themselves for the better of the sport. 

If that is what you got out of my novel, you really missed the point. I can compare humans to equine’s simply because the point is...all athletes risk some type of injury. Human or equine. I’ve personally witnessed as horrific injuries on the track as I have with barrel horses and bucking horses. None of the equine fatalities I’ve witnessed first hand could have been prevented unless you simply let them hang out in the pasture. But come to think of it...even that can lead to catastrophic injury. I’ve lived that too. But to get back on point, where Sabra Anita is concerned...the numbers point to something being way off. And I’m not talking simple training.

We aren’t talking about the kill pen here. That’s a whole other can of worms. But if you are blaming TB trainers for the problem, then you’d better be equally blaming any owner that dumps a horse in a sale because they’ve out lived their purpose. 

And for the record...no one is trying to justify what happened at Santa Anita. Everyone agrees that something is wrong. It’s a case of some people saying, “Look, something is off. These aren’t normal numbers. They are extremely high so what’s causing this?” Others are saying “Grab the torch and pitchfork! These track people have no business with horses. Burn them at the stake”.

The horse deaths at the Santa Anita track are horrific and the fact the track has been closed while the powers-that-be identify and fix the issues have rocked the race-horse industry -- and certainly have caused much discussion within the horse world in general.  It's shone a spotlight on horse sports --  all horse sports.  Regardless of how you feel about horse-racing, perception is reality -- and the reality of this situaiton is that many anti-horse-racing, anti-animal ownership, groups, are definitely using it to gain support, donations and sympathy.  I have avoided 'politics' for years; however, within the few years I have become actively involved in my state's process in order to stay in the information loop -- and in order to be a voice of reason / education.   Lots of things regarding animals are perculating.... dog racing has been out-lawed in Florida.  There is legislation in three states right now that would ban any and all hunting dog sports activities.  Believe me -- horse activities are on the hit list, too. 

My working career required a lot of travel -- into the "cities" and areas where people know zero about farms, ranches, horses, cattle, etc.  It was eye-opening to talk with folks in these areas and learn how much they support ending rodeo, horse shows, dog shows and believe ranchers and farmers are cruel and inhumane.  As a farmer and horse owner, I spent many evenings over cocktails or at dinners speaking about the realities of ranches, farmers, etc.    As soon as my coworkers learned I 'lived on a farm' -- they were full of questions -- and accusations.  I am happy to say I was able to educate many and turn around their beliefs.... and in fact, some of those people, at my invitation, visited me here on my farm.  It was eye-opening for them and very educational.  So - if any of you have an opportunity to share your life with someone who knows zero about 'our world', please share!  We cannot stay in our happy horse bubble and expect things to continue as they are --- we are in their sights. 

I got your point but I see a difference between people choosing to take risk and asking an animal to take a risk.  I feel as the stewards of these animals it is our responsibility to minimize that risk for them since they can’t do that by themselves.  If that is being done for them, great.  I specifically said I WAS NOT blaming over population of horses and kill pens on the race track industry so I don’t know where you got  that. 

Maybe I should go back and read all the posts again, but I don't remember anyone wanting to tar and feather all track connections.   There is a problem , and I'm so glad they're making an effort to find out what it is.  Like I said, I don't think the owner, trainer, jockey is happy when it happens.  And you're probably right, most people in the stands likely aren't top notch/the most knowledgeable horse people.  They're there for the fun i imagine.  My feelings are that these are tragedies for which I hope they find an answer .   I think we can all agree that too many horses are dying and sorting out what the problem is can only be a good thing. . . 

Ditto. I had a co-worker from Michigan who had questioned me about how horses are broken after he found out my family was in the horse business. He thought horses were broken the same way they are depicted on old westerns...just roped and saddled and bucked out til they can't buck anymore. I explained that wasn't reality these days. Horses are handled and gentle by the time the leg actually goes over their back for the first time and many dont buck much or at all. It was eye opening for him especially once he realized how much we value our animals. My brother in law is a CEO in Houston. Neither he or my sister grew up in the country. They asked me if bull ropes "were really tied around the bulls testicles to cause them to buck". I sucessfully debunked that one too. I think it is so important to do what you just said. Educate people who do not know. Invite them out, change their minds.

Interesting article today -

Santa Anita Implements Lasix Ban, Increased Restrictions On Therapeutic Drugs Following 22nd Fatal Breakdown

Sponsored by:

by Belinda Stronach | 03.14.2019 | 4:26pm

https://www.paulickreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/SantaAnitaB... 128w, https://www.paulickreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/SantaAnitaB... 240w, https://www.paulickreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/SantaAnitaB... 684w, https://www.paulickreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/SantaAnitaB... 450w" alt="" width="1000" height="667" />

The following statement was distributed to media Thursday afternoon as an “open letter” from Stronach Group chairman and president Belinda Stronach following the track's 22nd fatal breakdown during morning training at Santa Anita. 

What has happened at Santa Anita over the last few weeks is beyond heartbreaking. It is unacceptable to the public and, as people who deeply love horses, to everyone at The Stronach Group and Santa Anita.

The sport of horse racing is the last great sporting legacy platform to be modernized. If we expect our sport to grow for future generations, we must raise our standards.

Today, I'm announcing The Stronach Group will take the unprecedented step of declaring a zero tolerance for race day medication at Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields. These Thoroughbred racetracks will be the first in North America to follow the strict International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) standards.

We have arrived at a watershed moment.  The Stronach Group has long been a strong advocate for the abolishment of race-day medication, but we will wait no longer for the industry to come together as one to institute these changes. Nor will we wait for the legislation required to undertake this paradigm shift. We are taking a stand and fully recognize just how disruptive this might be.

This mandate encompasses a complete revision of the current medication policy to improve the safety of our equine and human athletes and to raise the integrity of our sport.

These revisions comprise best practices currently employed at racetracks around the world:

• Banning the use of Lasix.
• Increasing the ban on legal therapeutic NSAIDS, joint injections, shockwave therapy, and anabolic steroids.
• Complete transparency of all veterinary records.
• Significantly increasing out-of-competition testing.
• Increasing the time required for horses to be on-site prior to a race.
• A substantial investment by The Stronach Group in diagnostic equipment to aid in the early detection of pre-existing conditions.
• Horses in training are only allowed therapeutic medication with a qualified veterinary diagnosis.

Additionally, it is time to address the growing concern about use of the riding crop. A cushion crop should only be used as a corrective safety measure. While we firmly believe our jockeys have not purposely been mistreating their mounts, it is time to make this change.

These modernizations are in addition to the previously announced commitment to the continued engagement of outside experts to regularly review our dirt, turf and synthetic courses for consistency, composition and compaction to create the safest racing surfaces in the world.

We will be continuing our daily conversations with industry stakeholders to further define these transformative guidelines. But make no mistake: these changes will be implemented. The time to discuss “why” these advancements must take place is over. The only thing left to discuss is “how.”

There are some who will take a stand and tell us that it cannot be done. To them we say “the health and welfare of the horses will always come first.” We also say '”not only can it be done, it is what we are doing.” Racing at Santa Anita and Golden Gate is a privilege, it is not a right.

Ultimately, we recognize the owners and trainers of these horses have the final responsibility to assess their fitness for racing and training. Our goal is to make every resource available to aid them in that determination. We are all in this together to make the horse the first priority.

Our COO, Tim Ritvo, has been a horseman for almost four decades. As he said, “The time has come for this industry to evolve.  It must do so for the sake of the horses and the people who depend on this sport for their livelihoods.  Moving to international standards will help to set the right foundation for racing and fairness.  We love the sport of horse racing and want it to succeed today, tomorrow and long into the future.”

We've spoken with the California Horse Racing Board and they will be holding a meeting on March 21 at which the situation at Santa Anita Park will be addressed. In the interim, Chairman Chuck Winner told us he personally appreciates the initiatives that The Stronach Group announced today. The Chairman said, “The safety of horses and riders has been, is, and will be the primary concern of the CHRB. The CHRB has been working with The Stronach Group and the various stakeholders to achieve a common objective, which is the best possible conditions for the health and safety of our equine competitors.”

Organizations who advocate for animal welfare have also affirmed their support for these measures. Kathy Guillermo, Senior Vice President for PETA said, “PETA thanks Santa Anita for standing up to all those who have used any means to force injured or unfit horses to run. This is a historic moment for racing and PETA urges every track to recognize that the future is now and to follow suit. This groundbreaking plan will not bring back the 22 horses who have died recently, but it will prevent the deaths of many more and will set a new standard for racing that means less suffering for Thoroughbreds.”

These initiatives are a seismic shift in how the sport has been conducted for centuries.  We are pleased that Stuart S. Janney III, Chairman of The Jockey Club, which has long supported the Horseracing Integrity Act, said, “We applaud The Stronach Group for its announcement today to effect sweeping changes at Santa Anita, which would bring them on par with the strict standards seen in major international racing jurisdictions.”

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, has also voiced their agreement with these new changes.  Joe Harper, CEO said, “Del Mar has and will continue to support discussions and implementation of measures that enhance the safety and welfare of our athletes. We are committed to working with Santa Anita, The Stronach Group and other industry stakeholders to continue to improve.”

We recognize this will impact our field size as horses and horsemen adjust to this new standard. There will be horses that will not be able to race because they have required medication to do so. For those horses, we are prepared to dedicate the capital required to rehabilitate, retrain, rehome and provide aftercare for them. They deserve nothing less.

We are taking a step forward and saying, quite emphatically, that the current system is broken. While the cause of the injuries on the racetrack might be varied, they have one thing in common: the industry has yet to do everything that can be done to prevent them. That changes today.

First and foremost, we must do right by the horse.  When we do right by the horse, everything – everything – will follow.

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This entry was posted in NL Article, The Biz and tagged belinda stronach, equine fatalities, lasix, lasix ban, out of competition testing, santa anita, santa anita breakdowns, santa anita park, therapeutic medications, Tim Ritvo by Belinda Stronach. Bookmark the permalink.

I didnt read all the posts on here and dont keep up with tracks, but what was the time frame of these 22 horses dying? Did they all die within months of each other or did this happen over like say a 5 year period? Like I'm saying I dont watch racing so really dont know.. 

10 Week span.

Santa Anita released an open letter today announcing a ban on race-day medications. It seemed to make PETA very happy, however it doesn't address or solve the issue of the main track surface. Sadly, another horse was euthanized today after exercising on the main dirt track, but the article states that 75 horses worked out this morning, and 112 worked yesterday morning, so they're thinking the track itself wasn't the issue with the filly, but it's unclear what the issue was- most likely a horribly timed and terrible fluke.

https://www.santaanita.com/press-releases/an-open-letter-about-the-future-of-thoroughbred-racing-in-california/#.XIrkZKBlCrM

https://www.chron.com/sports/article/22-horses-dead-Santa-Anita-13689581.php

Okay...WTH...is wrong if they had a filly put down today?

Dont get it... they should be able to figure this out since they have brought some of the best in to figure it out.

Dang. 

you can only seal a track hard so many times with out having to rip the base up... it has rained more in two months here than it has in at least five years.. they need to fire the guy who is in charge of the ground. 

I have to agree with SKM here.  There is something going on with the main track surface. They need to peel that track back and take a really close look at the base.

Wow that is horrible and now another one was added to that list..

Just wondering did some trainers have multiple horses that broke down during this time frame of 10 weeks? Just a question so dont flame me for asking..

SKM...I totally, completely agree with you. Something has happened to the surface at some point in time.

My point was they need tp try and figure it out before more horses go out there. I know they brought someone (doctorate) in from KY to figure it out too. I completely understand they are trying.

Dr. Allred is great from Los Al too. Los Al is a great track and they have standards to adhere to.

The more professional help SA can get, the better.

I really respect your opinions and didn’t want you to take me wrong at all as I really didn’t know who were addressing.  

Another horse (#22) was put down yesterday after breaking both front legs while training on that track.

It doesn't add up.  Why only this track?  It it was drugs or meds or training or breeding or whips, it would be more widespread. 

Was this 22nd one on the training track?

It was on the main dirt track, just like the other ones  but they’ve had a bunch of horses exercising on it, so I’m not sure what the issue was with this filly. 75 horses worked on it that morning, and one broke down. It seems like they’re deflecting the real issue at hand (the quality of the track) by choosing to ban the race-day medications.

I disagree with them banning Lasix, that’s like making an asthmatic run without allowing them the use of their inhaler. That’s a respiratory issue that has nothing to do with broken legs.

San Diego Tribune Article

A good article on the situation, IMO.

I just read that they were re-opening the track next Friday (22nd)!

Since diuretics are known to affect the bone remodeling process...I'd say it is fully relevant to start looking at reducing the administration of such drugs as lasix (and others) to these horses.  There are other effects than just what is intended by giving lasix. And in what frequency/dosage they are given.   

This may not be a popular opinion...but if a horse requires medication to be able to run and win...and the winners are the ones being bred...are we then not just further perpetuating the need for running on drugs?  Cut out the medications and perhaps the stronger and more sound individuals will be the ones in the breeding shed and strengthening the breed.

And the deaths continue ......

26th racehorse dies at Santa Anita track in 5 months

 Holy cow!!! So sad, poor babys  

When you say babies that's a fact.  My biggest problem with horse racing is asking horses that are not even two years old yet to struggle with the rigors of the track.  Many are crippled early and many die.  There are also a lot of contagious diseases at the track that youngsters don't handle well.

Most are fully matured horses like this last one was 9 years old and had run an avg of 7 races over 7 years. 

I hope they are using some very sensitive equipment to see if there are some rubber legged drugs still present ... 

There are sure a lot of real estate developers wanting that over looking the ocean piece of property!! 

Did I see today where they shut it down again?

The "season" itself ended, so technically the track didn't close down from the amount of horses that died (which is now at 30 or 32 depending on what article you read). The Breeder's Cup is slated to run at Santa Anita in November, so we shall see what happens next. Here's a few recent articles.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trainer-banned-santa-anita-park-after-30th-horse-dies-n1020701

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/santa-anita-s-racing-season-closes-sport-kings-line-n1020836

https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/06/24/heres-why-california-cant-just-close-the-santa-anita-race-track/

I still don't think they did the "right" thing by banning Lasix (that would be like banning an asthmatic from using their inhaler), however I did read an article that discussed only banning it in 2 year olds starting in 2020, so the 3 year olds (Triple Crown runners, etc.) would still be able to use it. Makes me wonder if they're trying to get away from running horses as 2 year olds...?

I didn't read the article, just saw the headline that also included a trainer being banned.   I should have paid more attention!