With No Main Track Racing Fatalities in ’22, Santa Anita Continues to Make Strides on Safety

It's been some four years since Santa Anita suffered through some of the worst times in its long and otherwise glorious history, a prolonged period where horses were breaking down and dying at an alarming rate. Aidan Butler, the chief executive officer at The Stronach Group 1/ST Racing and Gaming, the corporation that owns Santa Anita, is still haunted by that period, so much so that he says he has nightmares about horses breaking down.

“It was horrific,” Butler said. “Can you imagine having bloody helicopters from the news stations flying over the track every time a horse was injured.”

Butler was relatively new to the job at the time, and a fresh perspective was helpful. While some were quick to tell him that the breakdowns were “part of the game,” he represented a management team that refused to accept what was happening and knew that Santa Anita may not survive unless they fixed the problem. So they went to work.

So when the field safely crossed the wire in the Dec. 31 Las Flores S., the last race of the year run on the main track, Butler could have been excused had he popped open a bottle of champagne. The year was over and not a single horse had suffered a fatal injury during a 2022 dirt race at Santa Anita.

“That's one of those things you hope for but it seems almost impossible,” said Dr. Dionne Benson, the chief veterinary officer for the Stronach Group. “I could not be more thrilled with the work done by everyone involved. And that is what has made all the difference.”

There was also plenty of good news last year at Del Mar. Not a single fatality occurred in a race during either of the 2022 Del Mar meets. There were two fatalities during fall racing, both were non-musculoskeletal and were classified as sudden death.  In 2019, the track experienced two deaths during races.

“Since we implemented a series of reforms four years ago, including enhanced training protocols and increased veterinary and track surface monitoring, Del Mar has been one of the safest tracks in the country for horse and rider,” said Del Mar President and COO Josh Rubinstein. “It is great to see similar progress throughout the state, though we know safety and welfare are ongoing and we need to stay vigilant.”

At Santa Anita, the numbers in 2019 were ugly. During the meet that began on Dec. 26, 2018 and ran through June 23, 2019, 30 horses died. And that was with Santa Anita shutting down for three weeks to try to get the problem under control. The media was relentless and every breakdown became a major story. Animal rights groups like PETA were putting immense pressure on Santa Anita and some were calling for racing to be shut down in the state.

“At the time it was a very angry place and everybody was pointing fingers at everyone else,” Butler said. “A lot of it was completely unnecessary. Nobody wants to see animals get injured. Its not good for anyone's business.  But 2019 gave us the ability to look at things differently because things had really gotten bad. Everybody understood that something had to change. Something had to give.  Horsemen, owners, trainers, everyone, understood that business as unusual will not fly anymore. The emphasis on safety had to be the core of the sport because without it the sport could be in jeopardy.”

The question became, what can be done? There will probably always be fatalities in racing, but can steps be taken to reduce the numbers significantly to the point where Santa Anita is no longer the most dangerous track in the country but one of the safest?

“Everything we do must have an emphasis on safety,” Butler said. “That's bandied around a lot and everybody likes to talk about safety and how they want the races to be safe. We had an opportunity in 2019, albeit after an awful situation, to really reset the clock and look at every aspect of how we operate at Santa Anita.”

So what they did was look at virtually every aspect of the sport and try to figure out how they could make things safer. While many factors were in play, the one that seems to have produced the most results was management's decree that horses had to constantly be under the microscope and constantly subjected to veterinary exams. In 2022, 5381 veterinary exams were conducted on 4,673 unique horses.

“If I could pick one thing that had made a difference is the vet-trainer inspection prior to a workout or a race,” said trainer Eoin Harty, the president of California Thoroughbred Trainers. “You're forced to stand there and watch your horse jog up and down the road with your vet. If there is any doubt whatsoever your vet isn't going to sign off on it because it's going to be on his head if something happens. They have to sign a book that says the horse is good and that information is turned into the racing office. All the checks and balances have to be in place.”

Benson said that trainers have learned not to attempt to race or work horses if they are having any problems that could lead to an injury.

“It's been an effort by the veterinarians that we have who work for Santa Anita as well as the private veterinarians,” Benson said. “We look very critically at horses to make sure they are ready to race. And the trainers are doing an excellent job of horsemanship and making good decisions for their horses.”

Harty said that while trainers don't like all aspects of the extra scrutiny they have come to understand that it is necessary.

“Initially, there was some push back,” he said. “But trainers in California realized at the time that we were in a dire situation and unless everybody got on board and started pulling with the same oar potentially we were going to be out of business. There is always resentment when there is a change like that but in general horsemen have come to embrace this. People can adapt very quickly when they have to.”

Management has also been extra cautious when it comes to the racing surface and hired Dennis Moore to be the track superintendent. Concerned that when there is too much moisture in the track problems could arise, Santa Anita will cancel when the weather gets to be a problem. That was the case over the last few days when racing was cancelled on both Saturday and Monday due to heavy rains in the area.

Butler said another factor has been a crackdown on the use of medications used to block or numb pain.

“We're making sure any horse out there isn't on any pain blocking medications,” he said. “With any athlete, if you have anything wrong, medications that block the pain is where larger problems can start.”

The numbers weren't perfect at Santa Anita in 2022. When turf racing, training on the main track, training on the training track and sudden deaths are included, there were 12 deaths at the track in 2022. While that's 12 too many, it represents a major decline from recent years. During the fiscal year that ran from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019, there were 49 total deaths at Santa Anita.

Maybe there will come a time when 12 deaths seems like a lot, and the Santa Anita team has vowed to keep working to reduce the number to as a close to zero as a racetrack can come. In the meantime and after the situation had hit a rock-bottom level, it's not lost on anyone at Santa Anita how much better things have gotten.

“What happened in 2019 is that it opened up our eyes as to how we must make this sport safer,” Butler said. “Because if we didn't the sport was going to be in jeopardy and be in jeopardy quickly. Luckily for us, Belinda Stronach is not the sort of person to shy away from a battle. We engaged in what we thought was the only way to try to fix things and the numbers we see now speak for themselves. By fixing things the way we did I think we potentially saved the sport in California.”

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Thursday Insights: Terranova Saddles Gun Runner Firster at Tampa

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

8th-TAM, $31,500, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 3:48 p.m.

William Mack's GIANT'S FIRE (GUN RUNNER), a $510,000 KEESEP yearling purchase, makes his first trip to post for trainer John Terranova. The chestnut colt is out of an unraced half-sister to multiple Group 1 placed Mad About You (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}). Also debuting is Godolphin homebred Exacting (Ghostzapper), a son of multiple Grade I placed Centring (A.P. Indy), who will be saddled by Eoin Harty. Jonathan Thomas sends out firster Dubrovnik (Union Rags)–a $180,000 FTKSEL yearling purchase–for the SF Racing/Starlight Racing/Madaket partnership, while Provocateur (Into Mischief), a $600,000 KEESEP purchase, makes his third start for trainer Todd Pletcher and MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm. TJCIS PPs

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Madone, Closing Remarks, Javanica Among 11 Facing Off In Senorita Stakes

A solid second to streaking Irish-bred Going Global in her last two starts, Harris Farms' homebred Closing Remarks heads an outstanding field of 11 sophomore fillies going one mile on turf in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Senorita Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

In what shapes up as an outstanding betting race on Kentucky Derby Day, Kaleem Shah's Madone, idle since the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, and Godolphin's graded stakes-placed homebred Javanica also figure prominently in a very deep field.

In a tremendous effort, Closing Remarks, a California-bred filly by Vronsky who is trained by Carla Gaines, saved ground throughout and matched strides with Going Global late to finish second, beaten a neck in the Grade 3 Providencia Stakes at a mile and one eighth on turf at Santa Anita on April 3.  Going Global, who was off as the heavy 3-5 favorite, was free-running turning for home and prevailed in a thriller, after which track announcer Frank Mirahmadi noted, “Closing Remarks could not have run any better.”

The same could have been said regarding Closing Remarks' second place finish in the ungraded China Doll Stakes March 6, a one mile turf affair in which Going Global prevailed by three quarters of a length.

Ridden by Umberto Rispoli in five out of her six starts, Closing Remarks will get the first-time services of Hall of Famer Victor Espinoza on Saturday, as Rispoli has engagements at Churchill Downs.  Out of the Unusual Heat mare Orange Cove, Closing Remarks won the one mile turf California Cup Oaks three starts back on Jan. 16 and she brings an overall mark of 6-2-2-0 to the Senorita party.

Trained by Simon Callaghan, Madone has been idle since running eighth, beaten 5 ½ lengths in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland Nov. 6.  Perhaps the biggest late threat in the Senorita, Madone was unbeaten in three starts, all at one mile on turf, heading into the Breeders' Cup.

A first-out maiden winner on July 31 at Del Mar, Madone then took the one mile Juvenile Fillies Turf on Sept. 6 and in her final Breeders' Cup prep, rallied powerfully from off the pace to take the ungraded Surfer Girl Stakes at Santa Anita Oct. 4.  Ridden in all four of her starts by Flavien Prat, Madone, a Kentucky-bred filly by the Medaglia d'Oro stallion Vancouver, will be ridden for the first time by Juan Hernandez on Saturday.

Javanica, a one mile maiden turf winner in her second start at Arlington Park on Sept. 18, was a sharp second, beaten a half length, in the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante Stakes at a mile on turf four starts back on Nov. 28 and returns to her preferred surface following a well beaten fourth in the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks on dirt April 3.

Trained by Eoin Harty, Javanica was second, beaten a neck two starts back in the El Camino Real Derby on synthetic Tapeta at Golden Gate Fields and rallied to finish second three starts back at Santa Anita in the one mile turf Blue Norther on Dec. 31.

By Medaglia d'Oro, out of Godolphin's Elusive Quality mare Shuruq, Javanica has a win and two seconds from three starts at one mile on turf and is 7-1-4-0 overall.  She'll be ridden for the first time on Saturday by Hall of Famer Kent Desormeaux, who by all accounts, is back to his best in the saddle.

GRADE 3 SENORITA STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS
IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 10 of 10   Approximate post time 5:45 p.m. PT

  1. Madone—Juan Hernandez—124
  2. Jibber Jabber—Geovanni Franco—120
  3. Nimbostratus—Tiago Pereira—120
  4. Closing Remarks—Victor Espinoza—124
  5. Tetragonal—Abel Cedillo—120
  6. Golden—Jose Valdivia, Jr.—120
  7. Sensible Cat—Tyler Baze—124
  8. Stressed—Mario Gutierrez—120
  9. Majestic Steps—Ricardo Gonzalez—120
  10. Javanica—Kent Desormeaux—120
  11. Sweetest Angel—Edwin Maldonado–120

First post time for a 10-race card on Kentucky Derby Day, Saturday is at 12:30 p.m.  Grandstand admission gates open early at 7 a.m. and Infield gates open at 9 a.m.  For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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After Game Second Against Males, Javanica Picks Up Mike Smith For Santa Anita Oaks

Javanica, second in her last four races, all stakes and all on either synthetic surfaces or turf, steps up in company and tries dirt for the first time in Saturday's Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks at a mile and a sixteenth on the main track.

Eoin Harty feels she deserves the chance.

“This will be her first time on dirt but she works great on it,” the trainer said.

“She doesn't seem to mind the kickback. She ran against colts last time out and just got beat by a good horse,” alluding to a game neck loss despite a four-wide trip on Feb. 13 to Triple Crown candidate Rombauer in the El Camino Real Derby.

Javanica is a bay daughter of Medaglia d'Oro owned and bred by Godolphin LLC, for whom the 58-year-old Harty has been training just over two decades. The native of Ireland has engaged Mike Smith to ride in the Oaks, which Smith won last year on champion Swiss Skydiver.

The Hall of Fame rider also won the Oaks on two other champions, Midnight Bisou in 2018 and Songbird in 2016.

Javanica is not one to carry her track around with her, having raced at Arlington Park, Woodbine, Del Mar, Santa Anita and Golden Gate Fields in her six starts.

“She's been everywhere,” Harty said.

The Oaks, race six: Moraz, Juan Hernandez, 8-5; Brilliant Cut, Abel Cedillo, 8-1; Soothsay, Flavien Prat, 6-1; Javanica, Mike Smith, 5-2; and Beautiful Gift, John Velazquez, 9-5.

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