2-year-old Cosmic Heat was killed – “fell crossing onto the dirt” – in the 1st race at Santa Anita yesterday. She is the 9th dead horse at this hallowed track this year.
2-year-old Cosmic Heat was killed – “fell crossing onto the dirt” – in the 1st race at Santa Anita yesterday. She is the 9th dead horse at this hallowed track this year.
Elizabeth,We have Thoroughbreds that are 23 years old & still gallop up to us when they see us for attention like last afternoon. Brian that change in surface is likely when he broke down causing him to jump a little due to the sudden pain. Have seen that & felt it when we were still riding horses at the track.We will be only to happy to see Santa Anita re-developed to something else besides a track where so many horses are injured.
Fred & Joan – Horses are absolutely capable of long, healthy, active lives when the stresses placed on them are aligned with their stage of development. Just tragic and heartbreaking all around both because it likely could have been mitigated and because you know what a full, sound life for a horse can actually look like.
It looked as if the horse thought she had to jump over something as she went from the turf to the dirt surface.
I saw the fall happen. But what I saw of it and my boyfriend agreed was that Cosmic fell right at the surface change. Possibly that was the cause. I have never liked that downhill track as well as putting in a change of surface. So utterly sad. To lose any horse that way and so young. Get rid of that track!!!!
We have always felt that the downhill course at Santa Anita was a bad course for horses galloping. The changing of surface types is known to have a much greater chance of injuries occurring no matter if its a racecourse or some other equine venue. Just being a 2 year old not at all developed just increases the risks. So sad that she will not have a normal lifespan. We have mares on our farm that are > 23 years old & can still gallop freely of their own volition.
This race replay..#2 Majoram went down on her knees coming out of the gate. She did finish the race. The incident with Cosmic not shown except with the outrider galloping towards whatever happened at that point. Also, the premier race of the day Santa Anita Derby, horse #1 Cherokee Nation(Baffert trained) also stumbled out of the gate. He was behind pretty much the whole race. Hopefully he didn’t injure his legs or have to be helped back to the barn. Just another day at the old race track.