Official: Santa Anita Cancels Racing After 21 Horse Deaths

A track official says Santa Anita is canceling racing indefinitely to re-examine the dirt surface after the deaths of 21 horses in the last two months.

Tim Ritvo, chief operating officer of The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita, tells The Associated Press that officials feel confident in the track surface but want to be "very proactive" and do all the testing that needs to be done

Ritvo said Tuesday that racing won't be held this weekend, when two major races were scheduled: the San Felipe for 3-year-old Kentucky Derby hopefuls and the Santa Anita Handicap for older horses. He wouldn't speculate on when racing would resume.

The latest fatality occurred during training on Tuesday, when a 4-year-old filly got injured and was euthanized.

“The safety, health and welfare of the horses and jockeys is our top priority,” said Tim Ritvo, Chief Operating Officer, The Stronach Group. “While we are confident further testing will confirm the soundness of the track, the decision to close is the right thing to do at this time.

The region where the track is located has received almost 12 inches of rain in recent months but it's unclear if the weather played a role in any fatalities.

"They seal the tracks when you get heavy rains to keep it from washing out and then they open it up and sometimes when they open it up they get wet spots and so on and so forth and I think a lot of times that causes injuries," says horse trainer, James Cassidy.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)