Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Board Weighs New Rules After 22 Horse Deaths at Santa Anita
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
March 28, 2019

Share

LOS ANGELES — The California Horse Racing Board will weigh new safety and medication rules Thursday in the wake of 22 horse deaths at Santa Anita.

The board is meeting at the track northeast of Los Angeles to consider whether to ban medication and whips on racing days, among other changes. If approved, Santa Anita and Golden Gate Fields in Northern California would become the first racetracks in the nation to impose such restrictions.

Santa Anita agreed to make the changes after 22 horses suffered fatal injuries at the track in less than three months, angering animal rights groups, prompting protests and leading to the suspension of racing since March 5.

Racing is expected to resume Friday pending the board’s votes on a number of key issues, including phasing out a medication known as Lasix, already banned on race days in every country but the U.S. and Canada.

While many American horse trainers say Lasix is a vital anti-bleeding medication that keeps horses safe, animal-rights activists say it amounts to a performance-enhancing drug and that most tracks in the world do fine without.

Also up for discussion at the board meeting will be limiting the use of riding crops, a move controversial among many jockeys and owners who argue that they help keep horses safe during races.

‘The Current System Is Broken’

In a statement earlier this month, Santa Anita’s owner said “the current system is broken.”

“The sport of horse racing is the last great sporting legacy platform to be modernized. If we expect our sport to grow for future generations, we must raise our standards.” — Belinda Stronach, president of The Stronach Group

“The sport of horse racing is the last great sporting legacy platform to be modernized,” Belinda Stronach, president of The Stronach Group, said in a statement. “If we expect our sport to grow for future generations, we must raise our standards.”

The track’s efforts in the wake of the horse deaths have garnered praise from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which has urged other tracks throughout the country to take the same measures as Santa Anita.

“The only positive in this is it happened at a track where the owners were willing to see what they could do to prevent it,” said Kathy Guillermo, PETA’s senior vice president.

She said she planned to attend the racing board’s meeting and hopes its members approve all of the Santa Anita’s proposed changes.

“These new rules are the most progressive actions to help horses in a generation,” she said. “I’m very eager to see what happens.”

DON'T MISS

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

DON'T MISS

Christian McCaffrey Returns to Practice for the 49ers From Achilles Tendon Injury

DON'T MISS

California Sues LA Suburb for Temporary Ban of Homeless Shelters

DON'T MISS

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

DON'T MISS

Some Republican-Led States Refuse to Let Justice Department Monitors Into Polling Places

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal NW Apartment Shooting

DON'T MISS

Fresno Murder Suspect Stopped in Las Vegas, Others Wanted

DON'T MISS

Trump’s Crowds Are Dwindling as His Campaign Winds Down

DON'T MISS

Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on Mexico to Curb Immigration

DON'T MISS

Music Legend Quincy Jones, Architect of Pop’s Greatest Hits, Dies at 91

UP NEXT

Bass’ Record 61-Yard Field Goal Lifts Bills Over Dolphins in Thriller

UP NEXT

Saints Fire Head Coach Dennis Allen After Seven-Game Losing Streak

UP NEXT

Raiders Fire Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy and 2 Other Offensive Coaches

UP NEXT

Demarcus Robinson’s One-Handed Catch in OT Gives Rams Win Over Seahawks

UP NEXT

Herbert Shines, Chargers Defense Dominates in Win Over Browns

UP NEXT

Fresno State Bulldogs Stumble in Fourth Quarter, Suffer Narrow Loss to Hawai’i

UP NEXT

Two-Time Cy Young Winner Blake Snell Opts Out of Contract with Giants

UP NEXT

Seahawks Aim to Reignite Ground Game Against Rams After Recent Struggles

UP NEXT

Where Have the Top Transfers in College Basketball Landed?

UP NEXT

49ers Seek to Shake off the Super Bowl Hangover in the Second Half of the Season

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

37 mins ago

Some Republican-Led States Refuse to Let Justice Department Monitors Into Polling Places

42 mins ago

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal NW Apartment Shooting

1 hour ago

Fresno Murder Suspect Stopped in Las Vegas, Others Wanted

1 hour ago

Trump’s Crowds Are Dwindling as His Campaign Winds Down

2 hours ago

Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on Mexico to Curb Immigration

2 hours ago

Music Legend Quincy Jones, Architect of Pop’s Greatest Hits, Dies at 91

2 hours ago

Big Pharma Backs Harris 6-to-1 Over Trump in Presidential Campaign Contributions

3 hours ago

Sanger Men Arrested in Connection with Slingshot Vandalism Spree at Businesses

3 hours ago

What Is Sierra Unified’s Plan to Boost Lagging Student Achievement?

3 hours ago

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

This year’s early voting period appears to be far more polluted with election misinformation than those in previous presidential races, acco...

11 mins ago

Voters cast their ballots at Desert Breeze Community Center in Las Vegas during the last day of in-person early voting in Nevada on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. Nearly 75 million people have cast early ballots, making their voices heard amid worry about the process, the outcome and democracy itself. (Bridget Bennett/The New York Times)
11 mins ago

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

19 mins ago

Christian McCaffrey Returns to Practice for the 49ers From Achilles Tendon Injury

23 mins ago

California Sues LA Suburb for Temporary Ban of Homeless Shelters

37 mins ago

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

42 mins ago

Some Republican-Led States Refuse to Let Justice Department Monitors Into Polling Places

Gerrick Franklin (pictured), 34, was taken into custody Sunday in Madera County on suspicion of killing Tyler Hamon, 33. (Fresno PD)
1 hour ago

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal NW Apartment Shooting

1 hour ago

Fresno Murder Suspect Stopped in Las Vegas, Others Wanted

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, on stage during a campaign rally in Lititz, Pa., on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. Trump told supporters on Sunday that he “shouldn’t have left” the White House at the end of his term during an end-of-campaign rally where he vented angrily about a spate of new public polls showing him losing ground to Vice President Kamala Harris and joked about reporters being shot at. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
2 hours ago

Trump’s Crowds Are Dwindling as His Campaign Winds Down

Search

Send this to a friend