My father put me up in the saddle for the first time when I was 5 and I’ve been riding ever since. I also worked my way through college while working at the Keeneland race track in Lexington, Kentucky. Like many in our community, I love horses, so I felt compelled to weigh in on the recent tragedies at Santa Anita where 22 horses have had to be euthanized in the short time between December 26 and March 8.
On Friday, February 22 “Hot American” broke down in the back stretch and had to be put down. The very next day, Breeder’s Cup winner ‘Battle of Midway,’ brought back from stud for shooting blanks, and 4 year old “Just Forget it” both had to be put down. That made three euthanizations in the span of 16 hours.
The Stronach Group owns Santa Anita, as well as Churchill Downs where the Kentucky Derby is run, and is a major power in the horse racing industry. They brought in Tim Ritvo from Maryland to make Santa Anita more profitable, while making him Chief Operating Officer. That Sunday, after the weekend’s catastrophic three horse destructions, COO Ritvo called a meeting to bring up the subject of shutting the track to racing and training, to examine the track and further investigate why all these horses were being destroyed. It was reported that Hall of Fame trainers Bob Baffert and Jerry Hollendorfer objected, causing Ritvo to relent and kept the track open on Monday. The California Thoroughbred Trainers Association attempted to weigh in during Sunday’s conversation on closing the track. They were not allowed to participate and racing continued the following day.
Sadly on that day, three year old gelding, “Charmer John,” shattered a fetlock during training. He was No. 19. The next day the main track was closed for training because the track was deemed “pretty much like concrete” by one insider. Many theorized that the main reason for the rash of chipped, broken and shattered bones and accompanying euthanizations derived most likely from the 11 ½ inches of rain the track had taken in the previous 3 months.
Training on the main course resumed only two days later on February 28th. Sadly, for Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally, his horse, “Eskenforadrink,” broke down on the backstretch in the 3rd race two days later on March 2.
The very next day, racing incredibly resumed until “Let’s Light the Way” shattered a sesamoid bone and had to be put down. He was No. 21. Santa Anita then suspended all training and racing on dirt and turf that afternoon.
On March 7th, the Stronach Group brought in world renowned University of Kentucky expert on track surfaces, Mick Peterson. Ironically, they also returned Dennis Moore, who had been in charge of the track surface at Santa Anita up to December, but left over Santa Anita and Stronach’s decision to discontinue his contracted fees.
Three horses had died in a 16 hour period, but Santa Anita re-opened the next day, Friday, March 8th, for racing and stayed open until “Princess Lilly” broke both of her front legs during training five days later on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Santa Anita was shut down indefinitely until appropriate and detailed examination could be undertaken.
At one point, soil and expert Mick Peterson, declared the track “100% ready” to resume racing. Since those comments, two horses were put down, including McAnally’s filly.
After “Let’s Light the Way”, number 21, was put down on March 5, Dr. Rick Arthur, Equine Director at both the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and the California Horse Racing Board, cavalierly said, “You can’t make a conclusion on what is still a relatively small number[of horse deaths].”
On Thursday, March 14th , after Princess Lilly broke both of her front legs during training. COO Ritvo’s callous response was, “Unfortunately, injuries occur in every sport.”
After Princess Lilly’s death, the Stronach Group shut down Santa Anita indefinitely, but is projecting March 29th for re-opening. At that time, the use of Lasix has been reduced from 10cc’s to 5cc’s on race days. Experts are still investigating, attempting to find the reasons for the catastrophic number of horses, 22, that had to be destroyed there between December 26 and March 8.
In addition to the leading suspect being the condition of the track itself, many track insiders I spoke with on Monday and Tuesday, have pointed to the Stronach Group and Ritvo’s efforts to increase profitability, by running more “cheap horses” to fill the race cards. In support of that theory, you can look to Santa Anita’s post-Princess Lilly destruction decision to restrict claimers to $10,000.00 and over.
Throughout this entire tragic and tawdry tale, one culprit (a/k/a motive) appears, again and again-abject greed. At the least, the very least, Santa Anita should have been shut down for at least two weeks to racing and training after number 19, “Charmer John” was put down. Up until then, plausible deniability might even have been in play. But for “Eskenforadrink,” “Let’s Light the Way” and Princess Lilly,” three of the noblest creatures God blessed us with, their suffering and destruction is on everyone who allowed them to race on their last day on Earth.
Epilogue
My father died of mesothelioma in 1995. The following year, not wanting Mom to spend Christmas at home with the memories, I booked a tour for us, spending one week in Australia and one week later in New Zealand.
The people of New Zealand were collectively the kindest, most generous people I have ever met throughout my travels in America, Canada, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and Europe. Christmas Eve found Mom and I in a small bed and breakfast in Christchurch. The day before, I had mentioned to the elderly couple whose home we were in, how I wanted Mom to have a nice Christmas and in some way assuage the pain of my Dad’s passing. The following morning on Christmas Day, Sandra, the innkeeper presented my Mom with a beautiful shawl she had knitted the night before.
The following day, we visited the gardens which Christchurch is known and beloved for. At that time, I spread a portion of my father’s ashes upon them, to honor the people of New Zealand and particularly, Christchurch.
As those people, with their great kindness, helped to ease my Mother’s pain and dry her tears, may my father’s ashes in some small way, dry some of the tears that great city and its people have recently shed.
Jon Alexander
Crescent City, CA.