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Horse dies from training injury at Santa Anita track
Arcadia Weekly Nov 14, 2023
Santa Anita Park. | Photo courtesy of Rennett Stowe/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
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A 2-year-old colt has died after suffering a training injury at Santa Anita Park — the 15th horse to die from a racing or training injury at the Arcadia track this year.
Nestucka was injured Friday, according to the California Horse Racing Board, which reported the death Monday and listed the injury as “musculoskeletal.”
Nestucka had three career races. He finished second in his most recent race, Oct. 21 at Santa Anita. His last official workout was Oct. 15, according to the industry website Equibase.
Nestucka was owned by Eric Jensen and trained by Luis Mendez. His jockey was Edwin Maldonado.
Santa Anita officials have touted safety improvements that have brought down the annual number of fatalities since 2019, when 42 horses died at the track, sparking widespread debate about safety issues at Santa Anita and about horse racing in general.
Sixteen horses died from racing or training injuries at Santa Anita in 2020, 19 in 2021 and 12 in 2022, according to the CHRB.
