{"id":109585,"date":"2019-07-18T20:24:26","date_gmt":"2019-07-19T03:24:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=109585"},"modified":"2019-07-18T20:28:14","modified_gmt":"2019-07-19T03:28:14","slug":"freak-accident-in-del-mar-training-session-results-in-two-horse-deaths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/freak-accident-in-del-mar-training-session-results-in-two-horse-deaths\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Freak’ Accident During Del Mar Training Session Results in Two Horse Deaths"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two horses died in what horsemen and an animal advocate called a \u201cfreak\u201d accident at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Thursday in southern California.<\/p>\n

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Horses duel down the stretch in this undated photo of a race at Del Mar, which opened its summer meet Wednesday. A day later, two horses died in what many called a “freak” accident that took place during a training session. (Image: Del Mar)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The incident, which happened the day after the San Diego County track opened its summer meet, comes as horse racing has come under increased scrutiny after 30 horses died<\/a> at Santa Anita over a six-month period stretching to late last month. Many horsemen who race at Del Mar also run at the Arcadia, Calif. course located near Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

The preliminary information regarding Thursday\u2019s death indicates that it may have just been an unfortunate accident. It occurred during an early morning training session and involved a pair of unraced horses.<\/p>\n

The track announced Charge A Bunch, a 2-year-old colt, unseated its rider and seconds later struck Carson Valley, a 3-year-old gelding, on the dirt track\u2019s backstretch. Both horses died on the track from their injuries.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom their injuries, it appears the horses collided head on,\u201d said Dr. Rick Arthur, the equine medical director for the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) in a news conference. \u201cThe attending veterinarians on the scene believe both horses sustained cervical fractures. That will be confirmed with the necropsies that will be conducted on both horses per standard CHRB practice.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Assael Espinoza, who was aboard Carson Valley, suffered a bruised lower back and went to a nearby hospital. Geovanni Franco, thrown from Charge A Bunch, did not suffer an injury, track officials said.<\/p>\n

Animal Rights Groups Divided<\/h2>\n

As Santa Anita continued with its racing season, elected officials and groups like the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) called on the track to stop its meet due to the number of fatalities.<\/p>\n

However, Valerie Pringle, the equine protection campaign manager for HSUS, told Casino.org<\/em> it\u2019s too early to cast any blame on what happened at Del Mar. She noted that horses can throw their riders. A horse can throw even an experienced rider such as herself.<\/p>\n

Certainly, it\u2019s very sad that two more horses have died related to racing, but I think really does fall under the category of a freak accident just given the nature of horses,\u201d<\/strong> she said.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Pringle wasn’t alone in her assessment of the incident. Both Bob Baffert, Carson Valley\u2019s trainer, and Carla Gaines, the trainer for Charge A Bunch, called it a \u201cfreak\u201d accident in their separate statements. Gaines said she\u2019d never seen anything like what happened in her 30-year career as a trainer.<\/p>\n

PETA released a statement after the incident calling for Del Mar and other California track to release information about incidents where horses dismount their riders. They also called on the CHRB to investigate.<\/p>\n

\u201cSaying that deaths are inevitable in racing is like saying a swim team can’t compete without drowning,\u201d said Kathy Guillermo, the animal welfare group\u2019s senior vice president. \u201cIf racing can’t be done without horses dying, it shouldn’t be done at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Statement regarding this morning at Del Mar. pic.twitter.com\/9Qypy3NWZC<\/a><\/p>\n

— Carla Gaines Racing (@cgainesracing) July 18, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n