CHRB Investigation Into Fatalities Due in December

The ongoing California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) investigation into the highly publicized fatalities at Santa Anita winter/spring meet is near completion, and a “comprehensive summary report of the findings will be issued in December that could provide prevention strategies to avoid similar equine injuries,” according to a CHRB press release Thursday.

“It's an enormous amount of work, and frankly, I think December's ambitious, but that's our goal,” CHRB equine medical director, Rick Arthur, told the TDN Friday morning.

During a six-month meet that ran Dec. 26 through June 23, there were 30 equine fatalities. The majority of those fatalities occurred between Dec. 26 and Mar. 14, when new safety measures were put into place. During that period, there were 4.40 fatalities per 1,000 starters during racing, according to The Stronach Group (TSG) figures, while since Mar. 15, there have been 1.95 fatalities per 1,000 starters during racing.

Those first few months of the year, Santa Anita was also bedeviled with heavy and sporadic rainfall, which made track surface consistency difficult to maintain. As Mick Peterson, director of the University of Kentucky's Ag Equine Programs and an expert in track surfaces told the TDN back in February, “the challenge is when you transition from a sealed track to an open track. You run the risk of a very hard sealed track as it's beginning to dry out.”

According to Arthur, the investigation has also included a review of track maintenance protocols. “You can't do an investigation of the cluster of fatalities in January and February and not take into consideration the track,” Arthur said.

“It's an important part of the biomechanical relationship between the horse and the track,” Arthur added, describing as “dramatic” the difference in weather conditions during the period when the fatality rate was high, and afterwards, when it dropped noticeably. “There are some technical aspects to track maintenance that hopefully will be explained in this particular review.”

According to the CHRB, investigators have issued more than 120 subpoenas for records and continue to review all cases for any CHRB rule or criminal violations. “If their investigations result in a complaint or complaints, the complaint(s) will be made public. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has undertaken a parallel investigation,” the news release states.

“I never expected to see any significant rule violations or law violations in this respect, but that's their decision, not mine,” said Arthur, on Friday, pointing to Alina Vale, a CHRB official veterinarian who will be responsible for coordinating information and drafting the report focusing on the nature of the injuries.

The news release states: “Dr. Vale has 10 years of equine veterinary experience involving racetrack practice, caring for racehorses at an equine hospital, regulatory work with various equestrian disciplines, and equine research at the University of California, Davis. She is a member of the Welfare and Public Policy Advisory Council for the American Association of Equine Practitioners and chairs the Equine Abuse and Neglect Subcommittee. She has previously investigated and written equine fatality reports for the American Endurance Ride Conference (long-distance, trail-riding events). More recently, Dr. Vale was one of the veterinarians who monitored training at the Del Mar meet.”

Arthur said that his interest in the investigation “has only been in understanding what happened, so that we can figure out how we can avoid it in the future.” He added that, “I suspect people will understand why we were such a proponent of the PET scan when all is said and done.”

The Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan unit is a newly developed diagnostic technology that is expected to be trialed at Santa Anita in time to coincide with the Breeders' Cup.

In related news, the Doug O'Neill trained G Q Covergirl was euthanized after suffering a catastrophic injury on the training track at Santa Anita Friday morning. A 6-year-old mare by General Quarters, G Q Cover Girl last ran Oct. 4, when winning a $40,000 claiming turf sprint at Santa Anita.

According to an incident report on the Santa Anita website, the injury was to a bilateral forelimb and a necropsy is pending. “Per recommendation from the attending veterinarian, the horse was humanely euthanized,” as per the statement.

“Just super sad right now,” O'Neill wrote, in a text message to the TDN. “I really can't articulate how heavy hearted I feel and the whole team feels. Super bummed.”

There have now been five equine fatalities since the track reopened after a summer hiatus, two on race-day and three during training.