Horse euthanized after injury in race at Santa Anita

ARCADIA, Calif. – Spectacular Music, a first-time starter who was pulled up on the backstretch of Sunday’s sixth race at Santa Anita, was euthanized Monday because of a pelvis injury, according to Rick Arthur, California’s equine medical director.

Trained by Steve Miyadi and co-owned by Miyadi and Nadine Anderson, Spectacular Music was pulled up by jockey Jorge Velez a little more than a furlong into a $50,000 claimer for maiden California-breds at six furlongs.

A 3-year-old gelding, Spectacular Music was vanned to Miyadi’s barn for a veterinary examination with the hope he could be saved. The diagnosis had not improved as of Monday morning.

“It had deteriorated, and they made the decision to euthanize the horse this morning,” Arthur said.

Miyadi was not available for comment.

Spectacular Music is the first racing fatality at Santa Anita since Arms Runner sustained a leg injury in the Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes on the hillside turf course March 31.

Spectacular Music was the second horse lost in the last week. Last Friday, Commander Coil was euthanized after sustaining a shoulder injury while galloping during morning training.

Since late December, there have been 25 fatalities in racing or training, though the track had a safe period from April 1 to May 16 with no such incidents in racing or training.

In early March, Santa Anita canceled 13 days of racing to inspect and renovate the main track following a wetter-than-normal winter and a series of fatalities in racing and training.

In mid-March, the track imposed greater scrutiny of horses allowed to train. When racing resumed on March 29, the track implemented tighter rules for medication use and added inspections for horses entered to race.