'More Work To Be Done': Stronach Group Responds To New Concerns From Calif. Governor
Thoroughbreds training at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.
Equine safety in California horse racing remains under the microscope for mainstream media, and is still on the radar of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. A story this week from the New York Times questioned the effectiveness Santa Anita Park's reforms after three horses suffered fatal injuries in three days -- two from racing breakdowns and one from a head-on collision during training hours. The Times noted the track has seen five equine fatalities since Jan. 1.
A representative of Newsom provided the paper with the following statement:
“While the California Horse Racing Board and Santa Anita have made progress in reducing equine fatalities over the past year and CHRB has made recommendations to further improve horse safety, Governor Newsom remains concerned and believes more must be done. Despite implementing new safety review standards — which are now proving to be a new national model — too many horses are getting injured or dying as we saw over the weekend.”
Recommended for You
The Stronach Group issued its own statement to media on Wednesday:
"Governor Newsom’s office is correct in acknowledging that we have made progress in reducing equine fatalities and we too recognize that there is still more work to be done. At Santa Anita, we continue to search for additional ways to improve safety and transparency and are fully committed to achieving the highest standards of care in Thoroughbred racing. Since March 2019, we have advocated for and implemented safety reforms unseen in our sport for generations. We are one of the country’s largest racetracks and training centers with 3,000 dedicated horse people who work diligently to ensure that the 420,000 racing and training sessions that occur every year are conducted under the safest possible conditions.
"Each and every day, our priority is returning the horses who race and train at our facility to the safety of their barn. We will continue to build on the reforms in place while doing everything within our power to push for further meaningful reforms that put horse and rider safety at the forefront."
