2 horses die in 2 days from training injuries at Santa Anita racetrack

Another racehorse died Tuesday after suffering a training injury at Santa Anita Park, the California Horse Racing Board reported — the second such death in two days at the Arcadia track.

Cayton Kid was a 4-year-old filly owned by Huston Racing Stables and Kyle Ferraro and trained by Gary Stute. She had seven starts and one first-place finish in her career, winning a claiming race at Santa Anita on April 10.

On Monday, a 3-year-old filly named Magnolia suffered what was described as a “musculoskeletal” injury while training and was euthanized, according to the racing board and the track.

Five 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 noted that the number of fatalities are a sharp decline 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 Santa Anita, 17 horses died at the track in 2020, and 12 died last year. Track officials said Monday that even with Magnolia’s death, the track’s safety rate has improved by 43% compared to last year.

Santa Anita officials did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the latest death.

Mike Marten, public information officer for the CHRB, told City News Service that the state regulatory board’s “safety stewards and investigators are continually applying and improving on safety policies. The list of 50-plus safety initiatives listed on the CHRB website is testimony to that ongoing effort, with new safety measures in the process of being approved.”