Horse death toll at Santa Anita reaches 35

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Mare G Q Covergirl was euthanized on Friday after she injured her two front legs while running on the training track at Santa Anita Park, bringing the death toll at the venue to 35 since Dec. 26.

G Q Covergirl had earned $200,730 in her 16 starts, which included 6 first-place finishes, and was trained by D’Amato until June when she was claimed by two-time Kentucky Derby winner Doug O’Neill.

Her death comes one week before the famed Southern California racetrack is set to hold the Breeders’ Cup world championships.

Santa Anita Park has been under scrutiny over its alarmingly high fatality rate.

Racing at the track was cancelled for more than three weeks in March following a series of fatalities.

Santa Anita hired a consultant to lead a study of the track surface and the California Horse Racing Board also investigated, but the cause of the spike in fatalities remains unknown.

Federal legislation has been introduced aimed at curbing the use of race-day medications in the sport.

Some $22 million in prize money will be up for grabs at the two-day Breeders’ Cup meeting on Nov. 1-2.

Editing by Stephen Coates

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source: reuters.com