3-year-old euthanized at Santa Anita after injuring leg

ARCADIA, Calif. - Emtech, a 3-year-old colt, sustained a fatal injury to his right foreleg in a one-horse spill in the stretch of Saturday’s eighth race at Santa Anita, according to a statement released by the track.

The incident will be the subject of an “immediate review,” the statement said.

Jockey Mario Gutierrez walked into an ambulance with the aid of medical personnel after being examined on the track. Gutierrez later took off his final mount of the day.

Gutierrez planned to go to a local hospital for a precautionary examination on late Saturday afternoon, according to his agent, Matt Nakatani.

Emtech suffered injuries to his front legs and was euthanized, the track said.

“As is protocol at Santa Anita, we will open an immediate review into what factors could have contributed to Emtech’s injuries,” said Dionne Benson, the chief veterinarian for The Stronach Group, the track’s parent company.

“Santa Anita will work closely with the California Horse Racing Board and will continue to brief our stakeholders and all of our constituents, including the public, as more facts come in.”

As is customary for horses euthanized at venues controlled by the racing board, Emtech will undergo a necropsy at UC-Davis.

“The accident and the necropsy report will be reviewed by a team to learn what, if anything, could have been done to have prevented the accident,” Benson said in the statement.

“The thoughts of the management and staff of The Stronach Group and Santa Anita go out to everyone who cared for Emtech.”

Emtech was trained by Steve Knapp for Steven Zolotas and Sabina Romo Solotas, who claimed the colt for $25,000 at Del Mar on Aug. 8.

The fatal injury occurred on the second day of the track’s autumn meeting and was the third fatality this month at Southern California Thoroughbred tracks. Two horses were euthanized as a result of injuries sustained at the Los Angeles County Fair at Los Alamitos earlier this month.

Equine safety has been the leading topic in California racing this year after 30 equine fatalities occurred in racing or training at Santa Anita from Dec. 26 to June 9 led to significant change in the ways horses are prepared for racing and which runners are allowed to compete.

Last March, Santa Anita launched a series of measures related to equine safety, including enhanced inspections for horses entered to race, a reduction in the permissible dosages of the anti-bleeder medication Lasix, and an increase in out-of-competition testing.

In late spring, Santa Anita enacted additional protocols, notably the development of a panel of veterinarians and stewards who review the racing, training, and medical records of all horses entered to race.

The panel, which was formed after California Gov. Gavin Newsom put pressure on the sport to curtain the fatalities, began its work in mid-June for the final two weeks of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting and through the high-profile Del Mar summer meeting. During that span, there were no fatalities during racing and four in training at Del Mar.

There were no fatalities during the Los Alamitos three-week summer meeting in June and July.