Santa Anita Race Track Reopens After 19 Race Horse Deaths

ARCADIA, CA — The main race track of Santa Anita Park reopened Thursday, officials said. With completed tests of the soil and racing surfaces over the past two days, the park's resident expert determined that the track was "100-percent ready" for racing to resume.

Three horses perished while training on Santa Anita Park's racing surfaces since Feb. 23, bringing the total of 19 equine deaths related to track injury since Dec. 26, 2018. No definitive problem was discovered, according to the park's resident soils expert, Dr. Mick Peterson, Director of the Ag Equine Programs at the University of Kentucky. Late Wednesday, he determined that the track was "100-percent ready" for racing to resume.

Peterson compared his investigation to the detailed work of the National Transportation and Safety Board following a plane crash, saying:

"We have two responsibilities—to find out what happened and to fix it, so it doesn't happen again. We've taken samples before and after the mixing. We know what happens when we get a lot of rain on the surface—there's segregation of the surface. We're assuming that was the problem, and we're fixing it."

Peterson, who reviews and studies the main track monthly, is held on retainer by both Santa Anita Park and Del Mar Racetrack. He used a ground penetrating radar for a thorough test of the racing surface. The cushion layer, or top of the track, was also peeled back for a more detailed examination of the base, and no problems were seen, according to Peterson.

The segregation of the track occurs when fine material (top-layer cushion) moves to the inside rail with the water as it's washing across the surface, according to Peterson.

"It's not something that normally happens in California, because you never have rain, but it's something you constantly fight at other tracks. I was just at Fair Grounds, and it's a daily challenge."

The Santa Anita Race Track has closed intermittently over the past few months due to torrential rains experienced in the area, Patch has reported. More rain is expected at Santa Anita Park and across Arcadia, Friday through Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

The horses are "thousand-pound athletes going 40-miles-per-hour" around those tracks, according to the California Horse Racing Board's medical director Rick Arthur told reporters. "If you don't have a consistent surface, it can be hazardous."

According to Tim Ritvo, chief operating officer of The Stronach Group, the track would follow Peterson's recommendations.

"He's the expert. We just want to be sure... in light of what happened recently, we want to be cautious," he said.

The Park staff isn't looking for just perfection on the tracks, but for other preventative procedures to ensure there is a change.

According to Ritvo, Santa Anita Race Track will form a committee that will assess how track surfaces are performing from all points of view, rider, trainer, veterinarian, California Horse Racing Board, and so forth, keeping a close eye on track performance.

Will it be enough? Only time will tell.

CHRB Chairman Chuck Winner stated in his recent report, "it is a sign of progress that the industry is finding solutions to a problem that for far too long has perplexed all of us who care deeply about the safety and welfare of horses. Admittedly, even one death of a racehorse is too many."

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3 Race Horses Euthanized After Santa Anita Race Track Disasters