A horse has died after suffering an injury during a race at Santa Anita, track officials said Monday.
Eddie’s Last, a 4-year-old gelding, sustained the injury during Sunday’s fifth race, according to the track.
“He was immediately attended to by an expert team of on-site veterinarians and transported via equine ambulance,” Amy Zimmerman, Santa Anita’s senior vice president and executive producer, said in a statement provided to City News Service. “After a thorough diagnostic evaluation, the veterinary team recommended humane euthanasia as surgical repair was not an option due to the nature of the injury. His rider was uninjured.
“As is protocol, the horse will undergo a necropsy overseen by the University of California (Davis) School of Veterinary Medicine and the findings reported to the California Horse Racing Board. Santa Anita Park is one of the largest racing and training facilities in the country, averaging more than 6,250 runners and 375,000 training sessions per year.”
Santa Anita has seen 12 horses die from racing or training injuries in 2024, along with six deaths from “other” causes.