3-year-old horse dies after winning race at Sonoma County Fair
BERKELEY, CA - SEPTEMBER 2: A general view of start of the 8th Race during Summer Races at Golden Gate Fields on Sunday September 2, 2018 in Berkeley, California. (Photo by Cody Glenn/Getty Images)
SANTA ROSA, Calif. - A 3-year-old filly died after running in the opening day of the Santa Rosa Races at Sonoma County Fair.
According to the official race chart, the horse, Danehill Song, was entered in race 6 on Thursday.
Danehill Song went ahead early in the race and maintained a decent pace, before losing the lead to another horse. This led to a chase into the stretch, causing Danehill Song to take a bad step.
The California Horse Racing Board said she was transported by an ambulance from the county fair.
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Details on the horse's injury were not available, but the horse racing authority only listed the death as "musculoskeletal," meaning a bone injury.
Animal rights group Kill Racing Not Horses said in a statement Danehill Song's death is the 47th fatality in California's 2023 horse racing season, which began in December.
She is the 7th racehorse also to pass away in fair races in the state, the group noted.
"No legitimate sport would tolerate the deaths of 47 of its athletes in 32 weeks of competition in just 1 state," advocates said.