PETA Statement: Two Horse Deaths at Del Mar

For Immediate Release:
November 14, 2022

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo regarding the deaths of two horses—Coast of Roan trained by Jeff Mullins and Kazuhiko trained by Peter Eurton—at Del Mar racetrack on the opening weekend of the fall meet:

The death of two horses during Del Mar’s opening weekend must not be dismissed as possible “cardiac events” with no known cause. Sudden deaths have been connected to particular drugs—all seven of the horses trained by Bob Baffert who collapsed and died between 2011 and 2013 had been administered thyroid medication. A serious investigation, including full drug panels and an examination of veterinary records, is critical. Furthermore, a recent study revealed that Lasix can be a factor in sudden deaths, and since both horses were racing on Lasix, this must be investigated, too. It’s unclear why Coast of Roan trainer Jeff Mullins—with his sordid history of drug violations and suspensions—is even permitted to race in California. If deaths can’t be prevented, then horse racing should be.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.