Eye of the Smiley, says the CHRB, was killed training at Santa Anita Saturday. He was three and had been put to the whip five times, all in California. Chief exploiter: trainer Brian Koriner. Smiley is the third training kill (Scam Alert, Single Vision) in an eight-day period at Santa Anita, one of the most prestigious tracks in the country.
Then these from the stewards at Horseshoe, both from last Thursday, Sep 24:
In the 1st race, “Beautiful Ester suffered a catastrophic injury to its left rear fetlock and was humanely euthanized in the barn area.” They then added this crucial information: “But [horse] was not otherwise interfered with, no action taken. Pedroza took off his remaining mounts.” The dead “it” was four. The complicit: breeder/owner Alexander Lee, trainer Anthony Granitz, and the aforementioned jockey, Marcelino Pedroza.
Eight races later, “One Sweet Los Pnoswi fell after the wire, was vanned off and humanely euthanized in the barn due to a fractured left knee.” He was three. Breeder/owner, Maria Novoa-Sanchez; trainer, Sacramento Chavez; jockey, Cristian Penaloza.
