Horse Euthanized After Falling During Race At Santa Anita

ARCADIA, CA — A 3-year-old filly was euthanized after suffering a fall during a race at Santa Anita Park, the seventh horse to die from a racing or training injury at the Arcadia track this year, state horse racing officials confirmed Sunday.

Cosmic Heat fell as she jumped onto the downhill track's dirt crossing during Saturday's first race. According to the official chart, she "dropped well off the pace in the early, saved ground around the turn, jumped then fell crossing onto the dirt and was transported off the track via equine ambulance."

She was euthanized following the $70,000 allowance optional claiming race, California Horse Racing Board spokesman Mike Marten told City News Service on Sunday.

Cosmic Heat had one victory, one second-place finish and a third-place finish in six career races, earning $63,700. She was fourth in the Grade 2 Starlet Stakes Dec. 6 at Los Alamitos Race Course, her only stakes race.

Santa Anita had 12 racing and training deaths in 2025, 14 in 2024, 17 in 2023, 12 in 2022, 19 in 2021 and 16 in 2020.

Those numbers are a substantial improvement over 2019, when 42 such deaths at Santa Anita Park sparked widespread debate about safety issues in the sport and even drew the attention of state lawmakers. The deaths prompted several changes, including drug reforms, increased veterinary oversight and improvements to racing surfaces.

"No legitimate sport would tolerate these deaths of its athletes in just one state, California, not to mention in a sole venue: Santa Anita Park," said Martha Sullivan of Kill Racing Not Horses, which supports the abolition of horse racing.

However, Amy Zimmerman, Santa Anita's senior vice president and executive producer, has touted the track's 99.985% safety rate, which she called "unrivaled among tracks with similar racing and training dates."

"Last year's national fatality rate average as reported by Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority is 1.0 out of 1,000 starters, whereas Santa Anita Park's was 0.148 out of 1,000," Zimmerman said earlier this year.

— City News Service