ARCADIA, Calif. -- A 4-year-old gelding has been euthanized at Santa Anita after breaking its pelvis during training hours.
Santa Anita officials on Tuesday confirmed the fatality of the gelding named Zeke, who was injured a day earlier.
Track veterinarians diagnosed a pelvic fracture. The gelding was initially stable, but his condition deteriorated later on. The owner, in consultation with vets, determined that the injury wouldn’t be able to be repaired to support continual weight on all four of the horse’s legs, which is required for its survival.
Dr. Dionne Benson, chief veterinarian for The Stronach Group, says a mandatory necropsy will be performed by the veterinary school at the University of California, Davis.
The fatality was the second on Santa Anita’s training track this year.
Earlier in the year, 30 horses died at the Arcadia, California, track during its winter-spring meet.
