SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Two horses have died at the Del Mar Racetrack just a week into the summer racing season, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club confirmed to ABC 10News on Saturday.
The club's statement says a 5-year-old mare named Nevisian Sunrise got loose on Friday and "ran off and collided with a stationary object."
The veterinary team determined her injuries were inoperable, and they decided to euthanize the horse humanely, according to the club.
The next incident happened on Saturday, when 4-year-old filly Ghostem suffered an injury during a workout on the main track.
RELATED: Jockey injured during day 3 of races at Del Mar Racetrack
The veterinary team also euthanized Ghostem because of a "non-operable musculoskeltal injury" to her right front leg, the club's statement says.
The club will report the results of necropsies on both horses to the California Horse Racing Board.
"Del Mar sends its condolences to the people who owned, trained and cared for both horses," the statement says. "We will continue to focus on the safety and welfare of horses and riders at our facility."
The club says Del Mar is "one of the safest major racing venues in North America." Adding in the statement, "Del Mar’s 2022 summer race meet consisted of 294 races with 2,688 starters during 31 days. Not a single fatal injury was recorded during that period."
Not including these two most recent deaths, data posted by the California Horse Racing Board shows 18 horse deaths total reported at the Del Mar Racetrack since 2020 (the deaths are divided into two separate categories: "Musculoskeletal" and "Non-Musculoskeletal and Other." You can view those stats here.
The club says veterinarian teams examine the horses multiple times on race days, and pointed out that a new regulatory agency, the Horse Racing & Safety Authority, has made sure new reforms and protocols were implemented at the Del Mar Racetrack and throughout the state.
An organization called Kill Racing Not Horses alerted 10News about Nevisian Sunrise's death Saturday afternoon.
"I’m upset and I’m triggered about the loss of life at this racetrack," said Ellen Ericksen, an activist with the group. "We already have two dead horses in two days…so that makes them not a safe race track because one dead horse is too many."
You can find additional information about race horse deaths from the California Horse Racing Board here.
