Santa Anita vows continued study after 23rd fatality

ARCADIA, Calif. – Hours after Arms Runner suffered a fatal injury in the Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes on Sunday at Santa Anita, track officials issued a statement stating studies will continue into a series of 23 equine fatalities that have occurred since the winter-spring meeting began in late December.

The statement did not detail any new policies. In March, the track implemented stricter medication rules and more oversight into which horses race or train.

In part, the one-page statement read “While this incident happened during competition on a track that has been deemed by independent experts to be safe, we are working closely with the California Horse Racing Board to understand if there was anything additional that we could have done to prevent today’s tragedy.

“Today’s incident speaks to the larger issue of catastrophic injuries in horse racing that The Stronach Group together with our industry stakeholders are working to solve throughout California and across the country.”

The Stronach Group is the parent company of Santa Anita.

Sunday’s program was the third day of racing after 13 missed racing days from March 7 through Thursday. There were eight races Friday and 10 on Saturday run without incident.

In early March, the main track underwent inspection and renovation after months of higher-than-normal rainfall. When training resumed on the main track March 11, new measures were put in place, including greater scrutiny of horses undergoing workouts.

When racing resumed Friday, a new set of protocols were in place, notably a 50 percent reduction in the permissible dosages of the anti-bleeder medication Lasix to 5 ccs, a suspension of authorized thresholds on legal therapeutic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, an increase in out-of-competition testing, and the transparency of veterinary records when horses switch stables.

In Sunday’s fourth race, the $100,000 San Simeon Stakes at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course, Arms Runner sustained an injury to his right foreleg as the field made the transition over the dirt track from the hillside portion of the turf course to the main turf oval.

Arms Runner fell, unseating jockey Martin Pedroza.

La Sardane, who was trailing Arms Runner, also fell, but was quickly on her feet as was her jockey, Ruben Fuentes. La Sardane was “bruised” in the fall, according to trainer Neil Drysdale.

Arms Runner could not be saved and was euthanized, according to track stewards. Arms Runner was the first fatality since Princess Lili B was injured in a March 14 workout and could not be saved.

Pedroza rode the remainder of his mounts Sunday. Fuentes did not ride the second half of the program. He went to a local hospital for a check-up and was released by late afternoon, according to his agent, Saul Marquez Jr.

Racing is scheduled to resume on Thursday at Santa Anita with an eight-race program. Saturday’s program is one of the track’s biggest days of the year with seven stakes, including three Grade 1 races – the $1 million Santa Anita Derby, the $600,000 Santa Anita Handicap, and $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks.