Racing board puts Los Alamitos on probation for recent rash of fatalities

The California Horse Racing Board placed the racing license for the Los Alamitos evening meeting on a 10-day probation on Friday, ordering the track to develop immediate safety protocols following a sharp rise in fatal breakdowns in recent weeks.

In a two-hour emergency teleconference meeting, the racing board considered an immediate cessation of racing at Los Alamitos, but voted 5-1 to allow racing to continue. The evening meeting consists of racing for Quarter Horse and lower-level Thoroughbreds on a Friday-through-Sunday basis.

Chairman Greg Ferraro proposed the 10-day probationary period, which was supported by vice-chairman Oscar Gonzales and commissioners Dennis Alfieri, Damascus Castellanos, and Alex Solis. Commissioner Wendy Mitchell voted against the motion for a 10-day probation, stating she was “conflicted” about allowing racing to continue.

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“I agree there has to be a serious review of policies and procedures at Los Alamitos,” Ferraro said before the board voted on the proposal.

“It’s not necessarily the fault of track management. I think there is a culture there among practicing veterinarians and trainers that are pushing the envelope when it comes to safety of these horses.

“I would like to have heard more from management in terms of investigations and how this can be improved. This is not acceptable to this board.

“In the interest of racing, it would be one step too far to close Los Alamitos altogether. This gives them a chance to correct the situation.”

Since the start of the year, there have been 14 fatalities in races, five in training, and nine other fatalities, according to data on the racing board’s website. The fatalities that occurred other than in racing or training included gastrointestinal, respiratory or neurological causes, according to track officials.

There were seven fatalities in June – two in races, two in training and three of other causes. There have been two this month, including Jess Bet Me, who was pulled up with a leg injury in the $157,400 Vessels Maturity on July 5.

In the first six months of 2019, there were four fatalities in training and five in racing at Los Alamitos, according to racing board executive director Scott Chaney.

For the 2018-19 fiscal year, there were 33 fatalities at Los Alamitos compared to 32 for the 2019-20 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, Chaney said.

“The last six months are particularly troublesome,” Chaney said.

Rick Arthur, California’s equine medical director, said the fatalities at Los Alamitos that he has reviewed do not have a common pattern.

“We don’t have any similarities,” he said. “I do not believe Los Alamitos is an unsafe track.

“There are unusual cases at Los Alamitos. There is nothing you can put your finger on and say doing this will solve the problems.”

Track officials said discussions were held in recent days regarding the injuries and that work on a safety plan is underway.

“Los Alamitos will develop a prudent, well thought out plan to deal with any perceived or real area of need,” track counsel Drew Couto said after the meeting.

“Los Alamitos wholeheartedly supports the board’s commitment to safety,” Couto told the racing board during the meeting.

Couto cited consistent fatality figures in the last two fiscal years and said the track has had a decrease in fatalities since 2008. He said the recent fatalities have been reviewed by track officials.

“They are perceived by Los Alamitos as exceedingly unfortunate,” Couto said.

“They are examined by track management and particularly by the track crew to determine if there are any issues. We want to assure the racing board that anytime there is a cluster there is an internal effort.

“We wish we came up with a solution overnight. There were ideas flowing as recently as five minutes before the (teleconference) about how to go about addressing that.”

Ferraro leaned on track officials to enhance safety.

“The problem is Los Alamitos’s to solve and not the commission’s problem to solve,” Ferraro said prior to the vote. “I’d rather bend over backward in an attempt to be fair than seem to be punitive without adequate information.

“We’re putting them on notice if they don’t come up with a plan.”

Gonzales suggested cancelling racing for three days to allow the track to form a safety plan, but did support Ferraro’s motion.

“We have to take a hard look at what is causing the trend,” Gonzales said. “I would be okay if we did pause racing for a few evening racing dates until we figure this out.”

During the meeting, Ferraro suggested that additional pre-race veterinary checks could reduce the number of fatalities.

“The more eyes on a horse, the less likely you will have an injury rate,” he said.

Currently, official veterinarian Becky Fitzgerald is the sole person conducting pre-race examinations at Los Alamitos.

Chaney, who worked as a steward at Los Alamitos as recently as March before taking the role as executive director, said Fitzgerald works in “difficult conditions.”

“To say she is not popular among horsemen is an understatement,” Chaney said. “The CHRB fully supports her endeavors.”

There were no fatalities at the recent two-week daytime Thoroughbred meeting at Los Alamitos, which concluded on July 5.

The racing board announced on Thursday it would hold Friday’s meeting. In justifying its probation ruling, the board cited a rule enacted in 2019 to allow the regulatory body to suspend a track’s license out of concern of the welfare for horses and riders. The rule was enacted following a series of high-profile fatalities at Santa Anita in early 2019.