The last few necropsies from California in 2021.

Major Cabbie, Oct 23, Santa Anita R
“[Multiple] comminuted fractures; [multiple] severe, complete ruptures. Additional findings include severe and chronic medial suspensory branch desmitis in the right forelimb and palmar osteochondral disease of the medial condyle of left cannon bone.” Major Cabbie was six years old – the age of maturity for the typical horse.

Star of Africa, Oct 31, Santa Anita T
“Sudden death while galloping on training track – cause undetermined.” Also: “focally extensive gastric ulceration/erosions.” Star of Africa was four years old.

Restiany, Nov 25, Santa Anita T
“Catastrophic right humeral fracture with ruptures of [multiple] muscles and severe hemorrhage.” Also: “severe ulceration of gastric mucosa.” Restiany was four years old.

Medina Spirit, Dec 6, Santa Anita T
“Sudden death while working. Cases of sudden death in racehorses are frustrating to deal with, and frequently remain unresolved, as in this case.” Also: “mild-to-moderate degenerative joint disease, fetlocks and elbows.” Medina Spirit was three years old.

Through a FOIA request to the California Horse Racing Board, I have obtained the following details on 2021 kills. (I have been posting in installments.)

Noodles, May 22, Los Alamitos S
“2-year-old Thoroughbred with a history of being found dead in his stall – necrotizing bronchointerstitial pneumonia.” Noodles, again just two, had not yet been raced.

Registrant, Jun 12, Los Alamitos R
“After unsaddling, horse appeared to weaken, staggered, fell, seized and died – likely acute heart failure. The anterior chamber of both eyes was severely hemorrhagic; hemorrhage [in] lungs [and] stomach.” Registrant was three years old.

Pushing Sixty, Jun 13, Santa Anita R
“Horse broke down during race – LF P1 fracture, comminuted; complete rupture of sesamoidean ligament. Horse has history of LF P1 fracture repair [with] metal implant.” And, of course, “multifocal gastric ulcers.” Pushing Sixty was four years old.

Uncle Boogie, Jun 27, Santa Anita T
“Catastrophic humeral fracture with partial rupture of brachialis, biceps, and teres minor muscles; severe hemorrhage.” And, of course, “multifocal gastric ulceration.”

Needless to Say, Jul 18, Del Mar T
“Sudden spontaneous death, cause undetermined.” Also: “multifocal moderate-to-severe ulcers [in] stomach.” Needless to Say was three years old.

Luca’s Ride, Oct 17, Los Alamitos R
“Fell during race, died on impact – complete, displaced cranial neck fracture with compression of spinal cord and tearing and hemorrhage of surrounding tissues.” And, of course: “gastric ulceration.” Luca’s Ride was four years old.

Set the Tone, Nov 3, Del Mar T
“Horse ran into pole – severe laceration of right shoulder, loss of function of the entire limb, [and] open, comminuted fracture of the right frontal bone [head].” And, of course: “severe gastric ulceration.” Set the Tone was two years old.

Barbwire, Nov 20, San Luis Rey T (euthanized Nov 21)
“Highly comminuted, complete, displaced P1 fracture; transported for [surgery] – euthanized on table due to poor prognosis. Additional findings include bilateral dorsal metacarpal disease and palmar osteochondral disease.” Barbwire was three years old.

Conchita, Nov 28, Los Alamitos R
“Fell during race unable to rise – catastrophic lumbar fracture [with] multiple variably-shaped fragments within spinal canal accompanied by massive hemorrhage and complete transection of the spinal cord [and] complete separation of major and minor muscles from the lumbar vertebrae.” Conchita was two years old.

Not This World, Nov 28, Los Alamitos R (same race as above) (euthanized Dec 1)
“Locked up, down, unable to rise – lumbar fracture [with] multiple variably-shaped fragments within spinal canal, which together with displacement of the cranial fracture produced massive hemorrhage and significant spinal cord compression.” And, of course, “multifocal gastric ulcers.” Not This World was two years old.

Through a FOIA request to the California Horse Racing Board, I have obtained the following details on 2021 kills. (I have been posting in installments.)

My Three Kids, Feb 21, Golden Gate T
“Horse was galloping on track and sustained [multiple] open, comminuted, displaced fractures and [multiple] severe, complete ligament ruptures.”

Mantra, Mar 21, Santa Anita R (euthanized Mar 22)
“[Multiple] displaced fractures; [multiple] severe ruptures.” Also: “bilateral moderate-to-severe palmar osteochondral disease.” Mantra was just five – still in adolescence. One other note: “Insurance agency declined surgical repair, so horse was euthanized.”

John’s Jewel, Mar 24, Golden Gate S
“Severe, chronic, active fibrinous and necrotizing pleuropneumonia.” Also: “mild random hepatic necrosis [in] liver.” John’s Jewel was just two years old.

yet-to-be-named, Mar 30, Golden Gate S (euthanized Apr 1)
“[Horse] suffered a deep laceration – severed tendon sheath, deep flexor tendon, part of superficial flexor tendon; euthanized due to deterioration.”

Velocemente, Apr 3, Golden Gate R
“Fell: open, comminuted fractures, both distal tibiae; while struggling, [suffered] open, comminuted fractures of radius; severe hemorrhage and tearing of musculature.” That’s multiple open – through the skin – fractures. Also: “moderate-to-severe dorsal metacarpal disease.” Velocemente was just two, and this was her first race.

My Child Sbud, Apr 17, Santa Anita R
“[Multiple] open, comminuted fractures [with] severe, complete ruptures of the intersesamoidean ligament, the lateral and medial collateral ligaments, the palmar annular ligament, and the digital flexor tendons.” Also: “palmar osteochondral disease [and] dorsal metacarpal disease.” My Child Sbud was just three years old.

Lady of the House, Apr 18, Golden Gate R
“This filly suffered multiple open, displaced fractures of fetlock [with] severe, complete ruptures of [multiple] ligaments.” Also: “bilateral, moderate-to-severe palmar osteochondral disease.” Lady of the House was just two years old.

Multiplier, Apr 18, Santa Anita R (euthanized Apr 19)
“Pulled up lame – complete rupture of distal sesamoidean ligaments.”

Champagneformybaby, Apr 20, Golden Gate S
“When turning horse around, [rider] heard a loud pop and horse went acutely lame – catastrophic femoral fracture with severe hemorrhage and tearing of musculature.”

Big Wish, May 31, Golden Gate R
“Fractured both left front sesamoids at the finish line – open and comminuted; complete ruptures of [multiple] ligaments and tendons.”

Music Babe, Jun 16, Golden Gate T
“Galloped this morning, came back to barn, put away in stall. Assistant trainer was watering horses late morning and found horse deceased. Cause of death unknown.”

Snazzy Cazzy, Jun 17, Golden Gate S
“Horse found deceased in stall at feed time. The gross findings are consistent with a diagnosis of hemorrhage and exsanguination as the cause of death.” In other words, the 3-year-old Snazzy bled to death.

Racer, Nov 6, Golden Gate S
“Treated yesterday for colic/large intestinal displacement, died during the night – colonic rupture with leakage of manure into the abdominal cavity.”

Through a FOIA request to the California Horse Racing Board, I have obtained the following details on 2021 kills. (I will be posting in installments.)

Gutz, Jul 4, Santa Anita T
“Catastrophic breakdown: [multiple] open fractures, [multiple] complete ruptures.” Also: “osteochondral disease, [both] front limbs.” Gutz was just three years old.

Arson, Jul 18, Del Mar T
“Open, comminuted tibial fracture; severe hemorrhage and tearing of musculature and skin.” Also: “osteochondral disease in both hindlimbs; [previous] femoral fragments surgically removed; gastric ulceration.” Arson was two years old and being prepped for his first race.

Shesgotattitude, Aug 6, Del Mar R
“Horse flipped en route to Receiving Barn [prior to race] – nystgmus, recumbency, paddling, mucus membranes brick red, blood exuding from mouth and both ears. Basisphenoid and occipital bone fractures – complete, displaced, acute. Severe, diffuse hemorrhage surrounding tissues and compression and laceration of brain stem (from displaced bone fragments).” Shesgotattitude was just two years old.