PETA Statement: Today’s Breakdown at Santa Anita

For Immediate Release:
March 31, 2019

Contact:
Audrey Shircliff 202-483-7382

Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo regarding the two horses, Arms Runner and La Sardane, who went down today—just the third day since racing resumed—at Santa Anita:

Over the past two weeks, Thoroughbred owners and trainers and the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) have argued about medications, whipping, and the public perception of horse racing. But they did not take every measure needed to protect the horses. Both horses ran on the drug Lasix, which is known to cause dehydration and electrolyte loss. All drugs need to be banned entirely, and the known-safest racing surface—a synthetic track—must be used. Furthermore, PETA calls on Governor Newsom to urgently form an independent panel to investigate the training and veterinary practices in California racing, including the use of bisphosphonates and other medications that reportedly have been used indiscriminately. If the CHRB does not take every possible action to protect the horses, then racing should not be allowed to continue.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.