From December 2018 to November\u2019s Breeders\u2019 Cup, 37 horses died at Santa Anita. The deaths spurred a three-week closure of the track in March and fueled a year-long national debate about the future of the sport.<\/p>\n
Numbers from the opening day of Santa Anita\u2019s 2019-20 meet fell compared to the prior year\u2019s record-breaking opener.<\/p>\n
The postponements allowed Santa Anita to set up an 11-race card last Saturday with seven stakes races. The card included Omaha Beach, a top 3-year-old colt who cruised to victory in the Grade I Runhappy Malibu Stakes.<\/p>\n
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Despite the stacked card, on-track attendance fell more than 15 percent, from 41,373 on Dec. 26, 2018 to the 35,085 who came out on Saturday. The on-track handle dropped 20 percent, from $3.5 million to $2.8 million.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Attendance at the California off-track betting parlors rose more than six percent from the previous year, to 7,048. That helped spur an eight percent increase in handle to $2.5 million.<\/p>\n
Despite the jump from the OTBs, the total in-state handle still fell more than eight percent to $5.5 million.<\/p>\n
Out-of-state handle also fell nearly seven percent from $14.5 million last year to Saturday\u2019s $13.5 million.<\/p>\n
Deaths Again Spark Calls for Changes<\/h2>\n
The latest deaths at Santa Anita spurred more calls from animal welfare organizations pushing for additional changes to the sport.<\/p>\n
Marty Irby, executive director for Animal Wellness Action, said in a statement that deaths like the one that Truest Reward suffered would continue until Congress passes the Horseracing Integrity Act. He credited The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita, for its support of the bill that would nationalize drug standards for racing and establish a private regulatory body to oversee drug testing in the sport.<\/p>\n
But the public outcry to end American horse racing is rapidly growing, and obstructionists in the industry who’ve failed to support the Horseracing Integrity Act should take a serious look in the mirror, and ask themselves if they want to be remembered for the cruel mistreatment of horses and bringing an end to horse racing; or for saving lives, and bringing integrity back to the sport,” Irby said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
PETA, though, reiterated in its statement that racing at Santa Anita should stop until officials can prevent deaths like Golden Birthday\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Kathy Guillermo, the group\u2019s senior vice president, assailed what she called a \u201cweak investigation\u201d by the Los Angeles County District Attorney\u2019s office<\/a> that failed to issue any animal cruelty charges. She said it\u2019s now up to Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Horse Racing Board to act.<\/p>\n\u201c2020 should be the year that either the deaths stop, or horse racing does. Right now, racing must be suspended,\u201d she said. \u201cCalifornia officials have made substantial improvements to protect horses, but they’re not done yet.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Santa Anita will resume horse racing on Friday, but it entered 2020 under the same shadow that fell over the Southern California track all last year. On the last race of its New Year\u2019s Day card, the track suffered its first racing fatality of the year when Golden Birthday pulled up with an injury. Track […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":123486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14577,16],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Santa Anita Suffers Two Deaths in First Week of Meet<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n