Racehorse dies from training injury at Los Alamitos Race Course

A two-year-old gelding allegedly died after suffering a training injury on Thursday, becoming the sixteenth horse to die at the track in 2022.

According to the California Horse Racing Board, a two-year-old colt named January Magic died after suffering the training injury just one race into its career. 

Nine other horses have died at Los Alamitos Race Course from training this year, while six others have died from "other" causes, according to CHRB.

January Magic was owned by Dennis January, and trained by Jerry Hollendorfer. 

Hollendorfer was banned by The Stronach Group, preventing horses under his training from racing at courses owned by the group, including Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields, back in 2018. He was banned after six of his horses were catastrophically injured between 2018 and 2019. 

CHRB says that Los Alamitos officials have taken steps aimed at improving horse safety in 2022, after four horses died in less than two weeks. 

They eliminated the use of "high toe grabs," also known as rear horseshoes, which are used to give the horse better traction. They also got rid of the "breaking bar," in quarter-horse races.

The track was briefly placed on probation by the CHRB in July 2020 due to another spate of racehorse deaths. At that time, at least 20 horses had died at the track in 2020 after suffering racing or training injuries.

Last weekend, a three-year-old gelding died due to an injury suffered during a race at Santa Anita Park, the eleventh horse to die at that track in 2022.