Horse racing's tragic, wild ride culminates at Breeders' Cup

ARCADIA, Calif. — Thirty horse deaths over the winter at Santa Anita. The first disqualification for interference in Kentucky Derby history. A horse tossing his jockey at the start of the Preakness and running around the track rider-less. Six more deaths at Santa Anita this fall.

A tragic, wild and unusual year in horse racing culminates with the Breeders’ Cup world championships this weekend at Santa Anita, where the fatalities have led to investigations, outrage from the public — including Gov. Gavin Newsom — and animal rights activists demanding the end of racing in California.

Those who make their living from the sport — trainers, jockeys, grooms, exercise riders and stable hands — and its fans are holding their breath that the 14 Breeders’ Cup races on Friday and Saturday worth $30 million in purses go off safely.

“We need some good things happening here in California,” said Bob Baffert, the two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer based at the picturesque track set against the San Gabriel Mountains.

Racing analyst Randy Moss added, “It’s obviously critically important for the Breeders’ Cup that they get through this weekend without an incident.”

The string of deaths that began last December didn’t deter owners and trainers from around the world from bringing their horses to the Breeders’ Cup, whose board voted unanimously to keep the richest two days in racing at Santa Anita rather than relocate this year.

“There were amazing steps taken in the late spring to address those situations and the safety record following that were extraordinary,” said Craig Fravel, president and CEO of the Breeders’ Cup who is leaving to work for The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita and other tracks.

New York-based trainer Chad Brown said he had owners asking him whether it was safe to run in the Breeders’ Cup.

“But ultimately, we feel confident in Santa Anita’s management that the track will be safe,” he said.

The latest death occurred last Sunday when a 2-year-old filly hurt her right front leg in a race, an injury severe enough the track veterinarian decided to euthanize her. Two days earlier, a 6-year-old mare got hurt on the training track and was euthanized.

In all, six deaths have occurred since the track’s fall meet began Sept. 27. It ends Sunday.

Earlier this year, the California Horse Racing Board and Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office launched parallel investigations into the deaths after the numbers quickly shot up in the first three months of the winter meet.

The industry in California and elsewhere scrambled to put in place reforms designed to reduce potential injuries.

At Santa Anita, surface experts were flown in to assess whether nearly a foot of rain compromised the dirt track and racing was shut down in March. The Stronach Group quickly announced strict rules on medication use and added requirements for training and prerace exams of horses. A five-member team that must decide unanimously whether a horse can race was created.

Like everyone else, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott has no clear-cut explanation for the spate of deaths.

“The majority of the problem was early in the year when they had torrential rain for two or three weeks,” said Mott, who is based on the East Coast. “Just watching from afar, it looked like they were up against it with the weather and maybe that particular track doesn’t do as well when they have a lot of rain like that.”