Two more horses die at Southern California racetrack
Two more horses have died at a Southern California racetrack. Mighty Elijah and Hot Spot, both 4-year-old geldings, died after the first race at Los Alamitos on Saturday, according to the Associated Press.
The deaths are the latest in a long line going back to last December. A staggering 37 horses have died at Santa Anita racetrack in the past year.
To make matters worse, there was a question of whether Mighty Elijah should have been allowed to compete. Mighty Elijah’s trainer, Jerry Hollendorfer, has already been banned from Santa Anita and Golden Gates Fields due to horse deaths. Eight horses have died under Hollendorfer’s care in the last 13 months, according to the Los Angeles Times. Los Alamitos allowed the 73-year-old Hollendorfer to race horses.
The deaths have caused multiple parties to pay closer attention to the sport, including the California Horse Racing Board and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The California Horse Racing Board is expected to issue a report on the deaths in January, according to the AP.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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