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Satanica

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Tim Ritvo, chief operating officer of The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita, told The Associated Press Tuesday that racing won't be held this weekend, when two major races were scheduled: the San Felipe for 3-year-old Kentucky Derby hopefuls and the Santa Anita Handicap for older horses.

Ritvo wouldn't speculate on when training and racing would resume. After this weekend, races were to be run again starting March 14 at the storied racetrack slated to host the Breeders' Cup world championships for a record 10th time this fall.

"In whole, we feel confident in the track and we're just being very proactive," Ritvo said. "We want to do all the testing that needs to be done. When we believe we're in good shape, we'll start to train over it again."
[....]
The latest fatality occurred during training on Tuesday, when a 4-year-old filly got injured and was euthanized.

"Obviously, one horse is too many," Ritvo said. "The recent rash is just horrible. We need to definitely take a step back and evaluate everything."

Santa Anita received 11-1/2 inches of rain and had unusually cold temperatures in February, but it's unclear whether track conditions played a role in any of the fatalities.
[....]
"We think that (rain) could definitely contribute even though our experts are telling us not," Ritvo said. "The tracks out here are built not for weather like that."

Ritvo said officials are "a little bit concerned" with the latest impending storm and how the dirt surface can change from muddy to fast in a short time.
[....]
Besides re-examining the dirt track, Ritvo said all racing protocols would be looked at.

"We won't rush it," he said. "Everybody takes a deep breath."

Ritvo was uncertain whether the San Felipe and Santa Anita Handicap would be rescheduled.

"Those are huge races," he said. "We hope so."


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.

The highest-profile horse to be euthanized was Battle of Midway, winner of the 2017 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. The 5-year-old bay also finished third in the 2017 Kentucky Derby for Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. The horse suffered injuries during a workout on Feb. 23.

Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally said 4-year-old filly Lets Light the Way "took a bad step or something" on Tuesday.

He said the injury was a shattered sesamoid in her right front leg. Sesamoid bones provide anchor points for the two branches of the suspensory ligament. The bones are under stress each time a horse takes a step. Lets Light the Way was X-rayed and later euthanized.

"I think the weather has a lot to do with it," said McAnally, whose wife, Debbie, owned the filly.
[....]
Also Tuesday, Vyjack was pulled up after completing a five-furlong workout, according to trainer Phil D'Amato. The graded stakes-winning 9-year-old gelding was taken off the track in a van. But D'Amato told the Daily Racing Form that Vyjack "took a couple of funny steps" and was OK.

The number of deaths has drawn both concern and criticism.

A handful of animal-rights activists gathered outside Santa Anita's main gate Sunday, carrying signs and shouting, CBS Los Angeles said.

PETA President Ingrid Newkirk agreed with the track's decision to close.

"This was the right thing to do," she said in a statement. "The track should remain closed until the California Horse Racing Board dumps the drugs entirely, or injured horses whose soreness is masked by legally allowed medication will continue to sustain shattered bones. PETA renews its call for a criminal investigation into the trainers and veterinarians who may have put injured horses on the track, leading to their deaths."

Ritvo said, "The first and most important thing is the health and welfare of the horses and jockeys."

In 2017, 20 deaths occurred among a total of 8,463 starts over a span of 122 racing days at Santa Anita, according to the most recent figures compiled by The Jockey Club. That's a rate of 2.36 deaths per 1,000 starts.

There were 1.61 deaths per 1,000 starts in the U.S. in 2017, according to the most recent figures from the Equine Injury Database, compiled by The Jockey Club. That was a slight increase in the rate of fatal injury compared with 2016, when there were 1.54 deaths per 1,000 starts.

The deaths were more frequent on dirt surfaces (1.74 per 1,000 starts) than on turf (1.36).
[....]
Mick Peterson, a soil and safety expert brought in from the University of Kentucky, proclaimed the track "100 percent ready" to resume racing.

Peterson said radar verified that all the silt, clay and sand, as well as the moisture content, were consistent throughout the track. Its dirt surface was peeled back 5 inches and reapplied.

Since Peterson's comments, two horses have died, including McAnally's filly. The 86-year-old trainer is one of the most respected in horse racing and has won three Eclipse Awards as the nation's most outstanding trainer.

Lets Light the Way had one win in four career starts and earnings of $18,500, according to Equibase. She last raced Feb. 2 at Santa Anita. McAnally purchased the filly for $15,000.

The other death occurred Saturday during the third race when 4-year-old filly Eskenforadrink was in the lead. Jockey Geovanni Franco pulled her up with an injury to her front leg. The filly was taken off the track and was later euthanized.
[....]
Track officials announced Tuesday that a former track superintendent is returning immediately to Santa Anita as a consultant on-site as "a precautionary measure with regard to the condition of the one-mile main track." The consultant, Dennis Moore, worked in Arcadia from 2014 until retiring Dec. 31. He currently holds the same position at Del Mar and Los Alamitos racetrack in Orange County.

In 2014, Moore oversaw a major renovation of the dirt surface using sand that was dug up in the coastal suburb of El Segundo for construction projects at Los Angeles International Airport. The sand was screened for foreign materials and large rocks.

At the time, track officials said the reddish-brown sand would ensure balanced drainage during periods of wet weather and a consistent, safe cushion for horses year-round. That's important at Santa Anita, which added several weeks of racing to its schedule after the closure of Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California, in December 2013.
 
:yuck::yuck::yuck::yuck::yuck::yuck: me feeling total nausia for agreeing with someone from PETA.
(Fuck Peta)
That being said, I think it's over medicating.

.

PETA President Ingrid Newkirk agreed with the track's decision to close.

"This was the right thing to do," she said in a statement. "The track should remain closed until the California Horse Racing Board dumps the drugs entirely, or injured horses whose soreness is masked by legally allowed medication will continue to sustain shattered bones. PETA renews its call for a criminal investigation into the trainers and veterinarians who may have put injured horses on the track, leading to their deaths."

Ritvo said, "The first and most important thing is the health and welfare of the horses and jockeys."
 
LOS ANGELES — Santa Anita Park, the famed California thoroughbred racetrack, announced major reforms on Thursday — including banning the use of drugs on race days and sharply limiting jockeys' use of whips — after a 22nd horse was euthanized following an accident, bringing the number of deaths to 22 since Christmas.

The 3-year-old filly, Princess Lili B, trained by David Bernstein, suffered a catastrophic injury during a workout shortly before 9 a.m. and had to be put down, Santa Anita and state officials said.


In a long statement Thursday, Belinda Stronach, chairman and president of the Stronach Group, said the company would ban the administration of all medications to horses on days they were scheduled to race both at Santa Anita, about 20 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, and at Golden Gate Fields, a sister track in Berkeley, California.

Stronach said the new rules would make Santa Anita the first major North American track to comply with the drug policies of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, or IFHA.
[....]
The Daily Racing Form, a leading thoroughbred racing industry journal, reported that the only race-day medication allowed in the United States is the diuretic furosemide, which is used to treat bleeding in the lungs, and that use of the drug on race days is the only significant difference between U.S. and IFHA standards.

Stronach owns other prominent tracks in the United States, including Pimlico in Baltimore, the home of the Preakness Stakes, which is one-third of the Triple Crown. Stronach's statement didn't address its other tracks.

Santa Anita officials say they still don't know why so many horses have been breaking down at the park. Industry insiders, veterinarians and animal rights activists have questioned the condition of the dirt track, the treatment of the horses and the pressures of the sport itself.

"We are taking a step forward and saying, quite emphatically, that the current system is broken," Stronach said. "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."
[....]
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/another-horse-dies-santa-anita-race-track-n983361
 
ARCADIA – The 23rd horse fatality of Santa Anita’s winter meet occurred Sunday during the running of the $100,000 Grade III San Simeon Stakes down the track’s hillside turf course.

Arms Runner, trained by Peter Miller and ridden by Martin Pedroza, injured his right foreleg and fell as the field ran across the main track on the transition from the hillside turf course to the main turf course. The 5-year-old gelded son of Overdriven was vanned off after being tended to by track veterinarians and, according to the stewards, had to be euthanized.

Arms Runner’s fall caused another horse in the field of seven, La Sardane, to go down, but she quickly sprang back up and, according to the Daily Racing Form’s Steve Andersen, suffered only bruises. Her jockey, substitute rider Ruben Fuentes, took off the remainder of his mounts.

The latest catastrophic injury was the sixth on the turf course since the meeting began Dec. 26. Seven of the fatalities have occurred on the main dirt track during afternoon racing and 10 came during morning training. One of the 23 deaths was the result of a heart attack.

The rash of deaths at Santa Anita is the worst on the Southern California circuit since Del Mar’s 2016 summer meet when 17 horses died during its 39-day meet. Nationally, Saratoga in upstate New York lost 19 horses to fatal injuries during its 2017 meet.

Santa Anita officials issued a statement on the latest fatality following Sunday’s nine-race card, in which there were no further issues.

“Arms Runner sustained a fatal injury during the San Simeon Stakes today. He was racing over the 6 1/2-furlong hillside turf course this afternoon when at the dirt crossing he fell and collided with another horse, La Sardane. La Sardane was walked back to her barn under her own power with no reported injuries. Both jockeys, Martin Pedroza, who rode Arms Runner, and Ruben Fuentes, who rode La Sardane, were examined by on-site medical experts and released from First Aid.

“While this incident happened during competition on a track that has been deemed by independent experts to be safe, we are working closely with the California Horse Racing Board to understand if there was anything additional that we could have done to prevent today’s tragedy. Today’s incident speaks to the larger issue of catastrophic injuries in horse racing that The Stronach Group together with our industry stakeholders are working to solve throughout California and across the country.”
[....]
The latest fatality came on only the third day back for Santa Anita after 26 days without racing. Training was suspended March 5 after Lets Light the Way, a 4-year-old filly trained by Hall of Famer Ronald McAnally, broke down during morning training and became the 21st fatality.
[....]
The CHRB voted Thursday to approve Santa Anita’s medication changes, which in part call for a 50 percent reduction in race-day use of the diuretic Lasix, and set in motion the passage of the new whip rule. The latter change could take months to be finalized because of the legal process.
https://www.ocregister.com/2019/03/...-horse-fatality-in-sundays-san-simeon-stakes/
 
Another horse dies during race at Santa Anita Park, marking 32 deaths since December
Another horse has died from a catastrophic injury while racing at California’s notorious Santa Anita Park — marking the 32nd death there in a year.

Emtech, a 3-year-old colt, broke both front legs while running clear down the stretch during the eighth race on Saturday during the track’s opening weekend.

Workers put up a green screen to shield the foundering colt, which was euthanized on the track

https://nypost.com/2019/09/30/another-horse-dies-during-race-at-santa-anita-park-marking-32-deaths-since-december/
 
33!

ARCADIA, Calif. (KABC) -- A horse died of a suspected heart attack Saturday after a jog on the training track at Santa Anita, trainer Richard Mandella told reporters, marking the 33rd such death at the Arcadia racetrack since December.

The 5-year-old gelding named Ky. Colonel had five wins in 20 career starts. He last raced at Golden Gate Fields in Northern California.

The death was also the second in Mandella's barn since December.

Racing was expected to resume Sunday at the park, which is under intense scrutiny prompted by the series of deaths since Dec. 26. A 3-year-old colt name Emtech was euthanized on the track on the second day of horse-racing season for the park.

The deaths have prompted numerous protests. The park announced rule changes including banning race-day medications designed to protect the thoroughbreds.
[....]
The ongoing controversy is blamed for a significant drop in the track's attendance.

Santa Anita Park is scheduled to host the Breeder's Cup the first week of November, and the fall season concludes Nov. 3.

 
Nos. 35 and 36.

[....]
A 2-year-old filly named Bye Bye Beautiful injured its leg during a race Sunday and was euthanized.

Another horse died Friday.
[....]
The race track has seen a significant drop in attendance since the controversial horse deaths.

Santa Anita Park is scheduled to host the Breeders' Cup which starts Friday.

 
No. 37

Another horse died at Santa Anita Park Saturday after it sustained a leg injury during the final race of the Breeders' Cup. It is the 37th horse to die at the track since December amid mounting outrage and concern over horse safety at the track.

The 4-year-old thoroughbred named Mongolian Groom suffered a "serious fracture" to his left hind limb and was later euthanized, officials confirmed.

Breeders' Cup officials released the following statement, which reads in part: "The death of Mongolian Groom is a loss to the entire horse racing community. Our equine and human athletes' safety is the Breeders' Cup's top priority. We have worked closely with Santa Anita leading up to the World Championships to promote enhanced equine safety. Santa Anita has implemented numerous industry-leading reforms to enhance the existing health and safety measures with the intent of providing a safe racing environment."

Officials added that they've hired a notable veterinarian to conduct an independent evaluation of the incident.
[....]
"We want to see an end to this vile blood sport," said Heather Wilson of the group Horseracing Wrongs.

About a dozen demonstrators from the organization stood at the track's main entrance Friday. At the same time, on the other end of the track, people who work in the horse racing industry held a counter demonstration.


"There's 77,000 jobs up and down the state of California that are tied in to horse racing," horse trainer Doug O'Neill told Eyewitness News. "From the guy ripping the tickets, to the shoers putting on shoes, to the veterinarians. There's so many people tied in to this great sport."

 
From an article dated June 10, 2019.

[....]
After the two most recent horse deaths this weekend, the California Horse Racing Board did ask Santa Anita Park to shut down for the rest of the season, which ends June 23, the Daily Racing Form reports.

But the board doesn't have the authority under California law to shut down a racetrack without the approval of the track's operator.

CNN has reached out to the racing board for comment but hasn't yet heard back.

The Stronach Group, the entertainment and real estate company that owns Santa Anita Park, said despite the racing board's request, the park in Arcadia, California, will finish its season.

"We are collectively working on behalf of everyone in the sport ... to reform and improve racing every day," Stronach Group said in a statement posted to the racetrack's website. "After extensive consultation among all partners, Santa Anita Park will stay open through the end of its meet to see these reforms through."

The state racing board can close the track after holding a public meeting, the Daily Racing Form reports. But it must give 10 days public notice first.

Doing so this late in the season means that even if the board was successful in shutting down the park, racing would only be stopped a couple of days before the end of the season.

The problem may be bigger than just one track
Animal rights activists have called for races to be suspended at Santa Anita Park, one of the most famous horse racing parks in the United States. The track has instituted several safety measures and briefly closed the track.

Many have pointed to Southern California's wettest winter in almost a decade, saying the rain has made the dirt track where most of the deaths occurred too soft.

Arcadia is an arid locale, especially in the summer, so treating the surface can be tricky. In preparation for storms, a sealant can be used to prevent the track surface from washing away, but when the rain stops, trainers complain the track is too hard.

While there's been a lot of focus on track conditions, some experts said that is only part of the equation and that the industry needs to take a closer look at its training practices and the drugs that can be administered to horses.

Races are set to resume at Santa Anita Park on Friday.

 
ARCADIA, Calif. (KABC) -- The latest racing season at Santa Anita Park is opening with news of yet another horse that was injured and had to be put down.

A 3-year-old gelding named Truest Reward was injured while training Thursday morning, according to park officials.

Truest Reward is the 38th horse to die at the track since last December.
[....[
The track was closed for full workouts but was open for jogging and galloping. Truest Reward, a Pennsylvania-bred horse, was jogging or galloping on the six-furlong training track at the time of the injury, which unseated the rider. The horse had previously run in four races, placing second and third in two of them.

When the park's racing season began Saturday, a handful of animal-rights activists hosted a "funeral'' and vigil'' that included a bagpiper outside the track for the horses that have died over the past year.

The California Horse Racing Board is set to issue a report next month on the horse deaths.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office concluded Dec. 19 that there was no criminal wrongdoing connected to the deaths, but offered a series of recommendations aimed at improving safety at racetracks in California.

A task force formed by the Los Angeles district attorney found the 49 deaths at the track during a 12-month period ending in June occurred at a rate higher than the national average, but lower than some years in the past decade and lower than Churchill Downs in Kentucky.

Earlier this month, Santa Anita debuted a "cutting-edge'' PET Scan machine to provide imaging of the fetlock or ankle joint - the most common area for injuries to occur in Thoroughbreds -- without horses having to undergo anesthesia, and said it will help to diagnose pre-existing conditions in Thoroughbred racehorses.

"This state-of-the-art technology reflects a new standard of care within Thoroughbred racing -- a standard that puts the health and safety of horses and riders first,'' said Belinda Stronach, The Stronach Group's chairman and president.

 
Fatalities are already piling up in the new season.

ARCADIA, Calif. (KABC) -- Another racehorse died Sunday at Santa Anita Park, marking the third death in three consecutive days at the park.

Santa Anita officials confirmed that a horse, which had been training at the park Sunday morning, died but did not immediately provide details.

A horse named Tikkun Olam suffered catastrophic injuries, but the riders and other horses were not injured, an official told Eyewitness News.

News of the death came as protesters returned to the park to once again call for a ban to the sport of horse racing.
[....]
That follows the deaths of two horses in the previous two days at the park, which has faced increased scrutiny since a string of publicized horse deaths dating back to 2018.

There have now been 42 horse deaths at the park since December 2018.

The 4-year-old gelding, Uncontainable, was "humanely euthanized" after suffering a fractured right front ankle, according to an incident alert on the race track's website.

Another horse, a 6-year-old gelding named Harliss, was also euthanized Friday after fracturing his right front ankle during a race, bringing the total number of horse deaths to 41 since December 2018.

The season opened late last month with the news of the death of 3-year-old gelding named Truest Reward after sustaining an injury while training.

Park officials have said they have made safety improvements at the track in the past year, including a new PET Scan machine. The device provides imaging of the fetlock or ankle joint - the most common area for injuries to occur in Thoroughbreds -- without horses having to undergo anesthesia, and said it will help to diagnose pre-existing conditions in Thoroughbred racehorses.

On Saturday, after the second horse death was announced, the racetrack issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to safety.

"Santa Anita remains committed to transparency,'' the statement said. "Our safety statistics and incident reports are publicly available on our website at SantaAnita.com/safety. Home to 2,000 horses, Santa Anita Park is one of the largest equine training facilities in the United States. Horses raced or trained at Santa Anita Park more than 420,000 times over the last year with a 99.991% safety rate.''

 
No. 7 for this racing season, so we've missed a few. 44 total since 2018.

ARCADIA, Calif. (KABC) -- A horse was euthanized at Santa Anita Park Wednesday after suffering an injury, the 44th such death at the track since December 2018.

The 3-year-old horse, Miss Romania, suffered a suspected fracture of her left humerus on the main track, according to an incident alert on the race track's website.

The results from a necropsy are pending. The horse was euthanized at the recommendation from an attending veterinarian, park officials said.

It is the seventh horse death there since its winter/spring meeting began Dec. 28. The most recent death came last Saturday, when a 6-year-old gelding, Double Touch, suffered what was described as a "sudden death" on the training track.
[....]

 
ARCADIA, Calif. (KABC) -- A horse was euthanized at Santa Anita Park on Thursday after suffering an injury during morning training.

The death marks the eighth of the current racing season that began Dec. 28 as the track continues to face public scrutiny over equine safety and pressure from animal rights activists.


A 4-year-old horse named Unveiled, trained by John Shirreffs, fractured its right humerus while galloping during morning training on Thursday, according to the track.

Veterinarians performed X-rays and other diagnostics and determined the injury was unrecoverable. Following the veterinarian's recommendation the horse was euthanized.

Unveiled's euthanization marks the 45th horse death at the track since December 2018, a date that marks the start of the previous winter/spring season and a time when the park began facing increased public scrutiny over horse safety.

The California Horse Racing Board is expected to release the results of its nearly yearlong investigation into the deaths this month.
[....]
From July 2018 to June 2019, the track saw 49 horse deaths, an average of about 7 deaths per 1,000 starts. That's higher than the statewide average rate of about 4.3 deaths per 1,000 starts.

Over the past decade, the California Horse Racing Board has reported combined number of deaths at the state's four racing tracks has ranged from 138 to 278 per year. At Santa Anita, the number of annual deaths ranged from 37 to 71.

 

Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit dies suddenly at Santa Anita Park​

Medina Spirit, the controversial winner of the 2021 Kentucky Derby, died suddenly Monday after a workout at Santa Anita Park in California.

Amr Zedan, the owner of the thoroughbred, told Thoroughbred Daily News the horse suffered an apparent heart attack after workout. California Horse Racing Board equine medical director Jeff Blea told the website he saw a video of the workout and it appeared the colt had trouble breathing.
 
They should be looking into the owners/trainers of the horses. Yes accidents happen but one thing thats almost never brought up is that a lot of these training accidents(almost all the deaths at this place are exactly that)..the horses are doped and medicated through the roof. They only need to be clean on race day. A lot of the drugs they are given make them prone to having accidents. Combine that with bad track conditions, rain etc, and its a disaster waiting to happen. Trainers dont look at the track and say 'looks pretty muddy. We'll put the workout off till tomorrow' like a sane horse owner does. They force them to run full out under pretty crazy conditions.

If your horse is having trouble breathing, stop. Immediately. A 3 year old horse shouldnt drop dead from a heart attack. They are working them to that point and the responsibility for that lays on the trainer not the track.
 
@Satanica you beat me to it. I saw the story and searched the race track name, not the horse. It is an article that fits in either thread really. We'll see what the mods decide but I think it should be in both actually, as is.

Anyway. Why the fuck are people still taking their horses to this death camp?
 
(CNN)The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announced Monday that Medina Spirit's victory at the 2021 Kentucky Derby has been disqualified.

The horse failed a drug test after crossing the finish line first at the Derby.
[....]
The KHRC also announced a 90-day suspension for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who trained Medina Spirit, and fined him $7,500. Baffert said he plans to appeal the decision.
[....]
The commission said the winner's purse of $1.86 million must be returned.

Churchill Downs, where the famed race takes place, said Mandaloun is now the winner of the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby.

"Today Churchill Downs recognizes Mandaloun as the winner of the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby and extends our congratulations to owner/breeder Juddmonte, trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux," Churchill Downs said in a statement Monday.

"Winning the Kentucky Derby is one of the most exciting achievements in sports and we look forward to celebrating Mandaloun on a future date in a way that is fitting of this rare distinction."

 
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