Horse Fatalities And Injuries At Del Mar Racing Track May Intensify Regulation Debate

Two horses died while one was injured at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on the same race day.

The first thoroughbred, known as Ghost Street, suffered a lot of injuries to the front sesamoid. It was during the third race on the turf course. The animal was thereafter humanely euthanized.

Ghost Street was a three-year-old Gelding according to local media outlets.

The other horse, Prayer Warrior, also a thoroughbred was euthanized as well, after it was injured during the sixth race, though the details of the injury were not revealed.

Zoe Metz, one of the owners of Prayer Warrior, posted on Twitter, that the horse was "Loved by Everyone."

The third horse survived suffered an injury to the left front leg during the second race on the track. Princess Dorian was transported to the San Luis Rey Equine hospital for further care, according to track officials.

All of the incidents on the track that day happened within 90 minutes of each other, making it the most accident filled track day of the year in Del Mar.

Before that day, which was the third day of Del Mar’s fall meet, the track had not had a single death in 2019.

The same cannot be said of other tracks like Santa Anita Park, 115 miles north. Thirty-seven horses have died from December 2018.

Following these incidences, Sen. Dianne Feinstein called for increased levels of transparency to make sure the horses are safe and for the suspension of racing in Santa Anita.

The Humane Society CEO and President Kitty Block gave a statement saying the deaths at Del Mar over the weekend underscore the need for federal intervention to address the regulation problems concerning medication on race day and track transparency.

Block added that even the biggest racing supporters understand that policy reforms like those illustrated within the Horseracing Integrity Act are desperately needed.

The proposed bill is set to ban race-day medication and increase out of competition testing. It will also establish a national and uniform set of medication regulations for the animals.

Mac McBride, media director for the Thoroughbred Club, told ABC News the track was the safest major track in 2018.

He also added that Sunday’s events were believed to be a unique occurrence considering the safety record they have had. He finished by stating the track would work together with industry stakeholders to make sure there is a safe racing environment.