Horse Dies After Breaking Leg At Del Mar Racetrack

DEL MAR, CA — Mean Sophia, a 3-year-old filly, has died after suffering an injury while racing at Del Mar Racetrack Saturday. This marks the first equine death during a summer meet at the track since 2018.

The horse stumbled emerging from the gate in Saturday's seventh race, broke her leg and was euthanized after track veterinarians determined that she could not be saved, track spokesman Mac McBride said.

Trained by Peter Miller and owned by Sinnot Family Trust, Mean Sophia was making her eighth career start. Her career earnings were $55,773, according to her profile on Equibase. She had one first-place finish in her April 19 debut last year at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. but hadn't won a race since.

Her jockey was Ricardo Gonzalez, who twisted his ankle when he launched off Mean Sophia. He is scheduled to ride Sunday.

While there have been no racing deaths at Del Mar for the last two years, four training deaths were recorded last summer, and four other horses have died at the track this summer — two in training accidents and two listed for "other" causes.

Officials with Del Mar and the California Horse Racing Board have not responded to requests for comment.

Some animal rights activists urged the track to cancel the races this weekend amid soaring temperatures roasting Southern California, but McBride told City News Service that heat was "not an issue" at Del Mar.

"It was relatively cool here yesterday with a good breeze coming in off the ocean," he said.

PETA tweeted Friday, asserting that more than three horses die every day at U.S. horse racetracks.

@H_Combs More than 3 horses die every day at U.S. racetracks.

Horses need everyone to bring attention to this and to never place bets on the deadly @KentuckyDerby. Watching these horses collapse is exactly why

Retweet & speak out! #KyDerby pic.twitter.com/4YGxCRTu2b
— PETA | #BreakingTheChain (@peta) September 4, 2020

Sunday's high was expected to reach 95 degrees in Del Mar.

McBride noted that in both 2018 and 2019, the Jockey Club's Equine Injury Database recognized Del Mar as the safest major track in the United States.

—The City News Service and Patch staffer Kat Schuster contributed to this report.