The Kill Racing Not Horses organization said that the California Authority of Racing Fairs confirmed that a racehorse, a gelding named Toppers Wager, died on the track "without euthanization" after a collision with another horse.
Larry Swartzlander, Executive Director of the CA Authority of Racing Fairs, was cited as saying: "Toppers Wager came up on #1 Goodbye Kai and clipped heels.”He added that he spoke to the State Veterinarian around 8:30 (p.m.) and he stated that the Toppers Wager most likely fractured his neck and passed on the track before the attending vet could do anything."
A jockey was reportedly injured following the collision.
Kill Racing Not Horses said Toppers Wager's death is the 44th horse fatality reported on California horse racing tracks in 2024. It is also reportedly the fourth horse death in this year's Alameda County Fair Horse Races at the Pleasanton Racetrack.
"No legitimate sport would tolerate the deaths of 44 of its athletes in 26 weeks of competition in just one state (California), much less four deaths of its athletes in four weeks of competition in just one venue (Pleasanton Racetrack/Alameda County Fair Horse Races)," the group said.
Earlier this spring, Golden Gate Fields closed for horse racing – after 83 years. The closure came amid protests following the deaths of 17 thoroughbreds at the track last year.
More than a thousand horses have died at California race tracks since 1993, according to the California Horse Racing Board.