2 articles. 1. Racing returns at Santa Anita. The historic Santa Anita racetrack reopened Friday for racing amid concerns for horse safety and the future of the track and the industry. There were no deaths in eight races Friday, which had been closed for racing since March 5.
2. Back in the saddle: racing resumes without incident after 26-day closure.
Arcadia tackles coyote issues at February 7 City Council meeting, deciding to trap and kill them. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) wrote a letter to Mayor Tom Beck with a plea to not trap and kill but to use deterrents instead.
District Attorney Jackie Lacey finds no crime or wrongdoing in horse deaths. Prosecutor says there is no evidence owners, jockeys or trainers knowingly raced injured animals at Santa Anita Park over the past year. Since July 2018, 56 horses have died at Arcadia race track. Of those, 34 died while running on Santa Anita's main dirt track. Santa Anita Park averages about 2.04 deaths per 1000 racing starts, according to the Jockey Club. The national average in 2018 was 1.68 deaths per 1000 starts. The District Attorney's report includes 27 recommended changes to improve safety and reduce fatalities. See also same story at Arcadia Weekly, p. 2, December 26, 2019.
HBO television show "Luck" ends production after a third horse death at Santa Anita Park. The drama, starring Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte, about the seedier side of horse racing, will air the final two episodes of its first season but the series won't return for a second season. The horse deaths drew criticism from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) blasts Arcadia plan to kill coyotes. Company hired to catch coyotes would charge $2500 for each area it has traps.
PETA and City of Arcadia reach deal over coyote plan. Group had sued after city planned to start trap-and-kill program. Arcadia will pay $15,000 to settle the lawsuit that contended the city council approved the contract without an environmental report mandated by the California Environmental Quality Act. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 1, 10, July 6, 2017.
PETA sues Arcadia over cruel plan to snare, slaughter coyotes. In the lawsuit, PETA alleges that because City Council voted to approve the plan on February 21 without first performing an environmental impact assessment, which is required under the California Environmental Quality Act, its decision is illegal. See also Pasadena Star News, p. A3, March 4, 2017.
Santa Anita Park: DA to examine death of 22 horses at track.
Additionally, Rep. Judy Chu calls for hearings into the treatment of horses at the nation’s racing venues
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is investigating whether the 22 horse deaths at Santa Anita racetrack in the past three months were the result of criminal wrongdoing, authorities said Friday.
The probe began this week following the death of the 22nd horse Thursday.
Santa Anita Park. Federal lawmakers Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Rep. Judy Chu (D-Arcadia) call for halt to racing. Both send letters to California Horse Racing Board demanding ways to address horse deaths at Arcadia track.
Santa Anita Park: horse dies in training incident. Two-year-old colt Derby River is the 27th horse to die since December. He suffered a broken shoulder while galloping and was euthanized. Ruben Gomez was the trainer.
Santa Anita Park: think of human toll if track closes. Workers gather at rally to warn about how shutting down horse racing permanently over the twenty-nine horse deaths would impact thousands of employees. Reforms have been instituted at Santa Anita Park, including stricter rules for medications and more thorough examinations, but horse deaths are inevitable in horse racing. Rally calls for compassion for track employees too, whose livelihoods will be affected by a closure. They are an already vulnerable population.
Santa Anita Park. Track to boost race day rules. Owner, in a historic step following the death of a 22nd horse at the winter meet, announces medication ban, limits on riding crop use.