ARCADIA, Calif. — Two horses have died in two days of racing at Santa Anita, where four deaths have occurred since last month.
Uncontainable and Harliss were both euthanized after breaking their right front ankles.
Uncontainable was injured in a turf race Saturday. The 5-year-old gelding trained by Peter Miller had three wins in 11 career starts and earnings of $24,890. Harliss was pulled up after finishing seventh among eight horses in a turf race Friday. The 6-year-old gelding trained by Val Brinkerhoff had one win in 12 career starts and earnings of $23,026.
“Two horses dead in two days means horses are being forced to race when they shouldn’t be,” Kathy Guillermo, PETA’s senior vice president, said in a statement. “Uncontainable had two very long periods last year when he wasn’t raced, which likely indicates injury and the need for special attention by veterinarians. If we at PETA can see that by looking at his racing record, surely the state veterinarians can too. The only acceptable fatality rate is zero, and if racing can’t be done without horses dying, it shouldn’t be done at all.”
Of the other two deaths since last month, one occurred on the training track and one was on turf. There have been no deaths on the main dirt surface.
Last year, 37 horses died at Santa Anita including Mongolian Groom, who sustained a fatal injury during the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic in front of a national television audience.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.