Horses killed in wildfire identified

The California Horse Racing Board on Friday released a list of horses known or believed to have perished in the Dec. 7 Lilac fire that swept through the San Luis Rey Downs training center in San Diego County.

In all, 46 horses are believed to have died, with 43 having been identified and three more still unknown. As previously reported, Scott Hansen suffered the worst losses among San Luis Rey trainers with 15 horses killed in the tragedy.

Issued with a Sacramento dateline, the CHRB released the following statement:

“The California Horse Racing Board expresses its deepest sympathy for all victims of the fire at the San Luis Rey training center. Outrider Les Baker and trainers Martine Bellocq and Joe Herrick all were injured while attempting to rescue horses from the fire. Although more than 400 horses were saved, 46 horses tragically perished. To date, only 43 horses have been reported as missing by SLR personnel and those stabling horses there. The following is a list of 43 horses that have been either positively identified or reported as missing and presumed to be among those that perished.”

The full list of those horses accompanies this story.

An incredible outpouring of support for horsemen and their employees has ensued in the aftermath of the fire, with a GoFundMe account initiated by Santa Anita, the Stronach Group, and Del Mar having accrued more than $650,000.

Discussions in regard to rebuilding efforts at San Luis Rey are continuing among horsemen and officials with the Stronach Group, which owns

the training center and Santa Anita, along with a possible

expansion of stabling facilities at Santa Anita.