Recent horse deaths loom over 2019 Breeders' Cup Classic
Arcadia, California — Safety is a top concern heading into the 2019 Breeders' Cup Classic after 36 horses died at Santa Anita Park since last December, including one horse this week.
A who's who of the Breeders' Cup addressed those concerns during a pre-race press conference on Wednesday.
Suspected causes of the fatal injuries in California and nationwide include inconsistent track surfaces, performance-enhancing drug use, and horses being over-raced. After the disastrous stretch of deaths last spring and voluntarily closing the track, veterinarian Dionne Benson was hired to oversee new protocols. Benson said 30 deaths over the last several months are not unusual.
"But for our purposes, it doesn't matter. What our goal is zero," Benson said.
A team of veterinarians now monitor every horse. In addition, pain-masking drugs are tested for, new technology will eventually check for hidden injuries, a new drainage system was installed and the track surface is examined with ground-penetrating radar. But PETA's national vice president Kathy Guillermo said that's not good enough.
"The industry has gotten away with murder for a lot of years and we don't have good statistics on how many horses have actually died," Guillermo said.
The Los Angeles District Attorney's office has been investigating the fatalities for months but has yet to issue its report. Horse racing is in trouble with declining attendance and a tarnished image. But outside California, sweeping reforms on a national scale have yet to get out of the starting gate.
