Horse dies at Santa Anita Park on Kentucky Derby day from racing injury

A 4-year-old filly died after suffering a racing injury at Santa Anita Park on Kentucky Derby day, state horse racing officials have confirmed.

Speedcuber was injured near the eighth pole in Saturday’s seventh race and was vanned off. Her death was confirmed Monday by the California Horse Racing Board.

“There had been hope for saving this filly but euthanasia became necessary,” Mike Marten, public information officer for the CHRB, told City News Service.

Speedcuber was running her third career race on Saturday. She was owned by LNJ Foxwoods and trained by Richard Baltas. Her jockey was Ramon Vazquez.

Six horses have now died from training or racing injuries at Santa Anita Park since the beginning of the year, according to the CHRB.

Track officials have noted that the number of fatalities are a sharp dropoff from 2019, when 42 horses died at the facility, sparking widespread debate about safety issues at the track and about horse-racing in general. The uproar led to procedural and veterinary oversight changes at the park.

According to the CHRB, 16 horses died at the track in 2020, and 19 died last year.