In six months since reopening, Santa Anita Park has seen 29 different horses die at the venue, but management will continue to keep the park open moving forward.
That's according to CBS News, which reported Tuesday that two more horses have died in the last two days at the track, where a 3-year-old filly most recently collapsed during the final stages of a third race on turf.
Only three days after reopening its track in April, the horse death toll since December 2018 had risen to 23, with Arms Runner notably being euthanized following a leg injury that month.
The track had been closed for about a month starting in March for renovations.
"In whole, we feel confident in the track and we're just being very proactive," Tim Ritvo, the COO of the course's owner The Stronach Group, said when the track was initially closed, via CBS News. "We want to do all the testing that needs to be done. When we believe we're in good shape, we'll start to train over it again."
"Obviously, one horse is too many," Ritvo had added. "The recent rash is just horrible. We need to definitely take a step back and evaluate everything."
Santa Anita had 11.5 inches of rain in February, not to mention abnormally low temperatures, but Ritvo claims that experts have said that that isn't what caused the initial wave of deaths.
"We think that (rain) could definitely contribute even though our experts are telling us not," Ritvo said in March, per CBS News. "The tracks out here are built not for weather like that."
CBS News reported in May that a CBS Los Angeles investigation revealed more than 60 horses have died at the Santa Anita race track since the start of last year. Animal rights activists have continued to protest at the track.
