Horses die: third horse in 9 days dies at Santa Anita Park in Southern California

A 26th horse was euthanized Sunday on a Southern California trail after suffering a leg injury during a race. He was the third horse to die in Santa Anita Park in the last nine days. Officials told CBS Los Angeles that the last horse to be shot was Kochees, a 9-year-old gelding.

The track had lasted several weeks without fatality.

The horse was removed from the course in a van and left overnight in the booth with a splint on the injured leg, according to the Los Angeles Times, which announced the death of Kochees for the first time. The Times said the surgeons had weighed the weight of an operation, but that Kochees had lost blood circulation to the leg and had decided to proceed with euthanasia.

Mike Willman, director of advertising for Santa Anita, confirmed these details, but affirmed that "every effort has been made to save the animal".

PETA's first vice president, Kathy Guillermo, issued a statement calling for the suspension of racing on California runways "until the prosecutor's ongoing investigation is over and the new rules are over." have been strengthened ".

"Nothing less than a zero fatality rate is acceptable," Guillermo said.

Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein of California also called for a moratorium on the run at the track as well as an investigation. "I think we need to look carefully at the drugs that horses are given and under what circumstances, as well as look closely at the problem of overwork that could contribute to death," Feinstein said.

Los Angeles County General Counsel Jackie Lacey has since announced the creation of a working group investigate deaths.

Santa Anita, which began its competitive season on Dec. 26, was closed to competition for most of March, while authorities surveyed the race course to investigate possible causes of these deaths. Some people think that the unusual level of rain this year may have played a role in the deaths.

The owners of Santa Anita have used national experts to conduct test days on the track floor, but no problem has been found.

In early April, officials of Santa Anita announced a series of new measures to strengthen the safety of horses on the track, including restrictions on certain drugs, forcing coaches to obtain prior authorization before training. a horse and invest in diagnostic equipment. in the early detection of pre-existing conditions.