Santa Anita update
The Santa Anita main track was open for timed workouts on Wednesday for the first time in ten days. More than 100 horses were scheduled to work, and as of Wednesday evening there have been no reported incidents. If all goes well, live racing will resume on the 22nd, one week from today,
In response to the unusually high number of fatal breakdowns that have plagued Santa Anita this winter, The Stronach Group (TSG) – which owns and operates the 85-year- old facility – has announced a number of new measures designed to improve safety at the track. The first measure listed on the March 8 press release requires that trainers “apply for permission” at least 24 hours before a desired timed workout. According to TSG, this policy will allow track veterinarians to “assist in identifying ‘at risk’ horses through the evaluation of past performances, workout data and physical inspection.”
Other initiatives include the hiring of additional vets to oversee morning workouts; the creation of a new position, the Director of Equine Welfare, “who will be responsible for all aspects of equine well-being;” and a requirement that “veterinary records … follow a horse through any trainer or ownership change, including a claiming race or private sale.”
All of these measures are designed to help identify horses with physical issues – so- called at-risk horses – before they actually race or engage in fast workouts. Maintaining racetracks in a safe condition is obviously as important as ever, but no more so than monitoring the physical health of the horses that are required to run on them.
As California State Equine Medical Director Rick Arthur reminded us in a Feb 28 article in Thoroughbred Daily News, “… 85 to 90 percent of the time, [fatally injured] horses have pre- existing pathology at the site of the fatal injury.”
UPDATE: A 22nd horse was euthanized after suffering a fatal breakdown during a workout Thursday morning at Santa Anita. See accompanying AP story on page B1 for details.