Whatever they’re doing to fix the Santa Anita racetrack, it does not appear to be completely working. Arms Runner, a five-year-old gelding, had to be put down Sunday after severely injuring his front right leg in a fall on Santa Anita’s turf track, according to the Los Angeles Times. He is the 23rd horse to die at the racetrack since the start of the season on Dec. 26, 2018, a span of 95 days. For reference, 44 horses died at the track all of last year. The root cause of the spike in deaths is still not known. Despite numerous safety changes, it still only took two days after Santa Anita's reopening for a horse to die. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) What went wrong at Santa Anita As the Times describes it, the incident appeared to be a random occurence on a dirt portion of the turf track: The accident occurred in the feature race of the day, the Grade 3 $100,000 San Simeon Stakes, a 6 1/2-furlong turf race that starts at the top of a hillside and has a crossover point on dirt. The spill happened just as the horses were about to re-enter the turf portion of the course. It appeared that Arms Runner injured his right front leg. Most worryingly, this death occurs only two days after Santa Anita proudly reopened its doors and announced the changes it had made for the safety of the horses. Santa Anita had announced sweeping safety changes Among the changes announced were the ban of race day medication with the exception of the diuretic Lasix, the use of which was also restricted by 50 percent. Other protocols implemented included transparency of veterinary records, approval for workouts, a commitment to purchase state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment for identifying pre-existing conditions before they become injuries, and a continuous review of the racetrack’s dirt and turf surface. A ban on jockeys cropping their horses for anything other than a “a corrective safety measure” was also passed, though it could be some time before that is enacted due to regulations. Per the Times, 62 horses raced Friday and 84 raced Saturday without incident. Thousands of timed workouts also went by without fatalities. Story continues Those changes were made after Santa Anita cancelled all races indefinitely after its death toll hit 21 earlier this month, though another horse has died during limited workouts since then. Despite the step in the right direction, Santa Anita’s reopening was still met with protest, and those voices are likely to only get louder now. More from Yahoo Sports:<doc-sep>Santa Anita, fearing for its future after the spike of recent equine deaths, was dealt another blow when a 23rd horse died Sunday on the track. It came on only the third day of racing after the track shuttered its doors from racing on March 4. Arms Runner, a 5-year-old gelding, fell on the dirt track crossover of a 6 1/2-furlong race on the hillside turf course. He appeared to suffer a catastrophic injury to his right front leg. After he went to the ground, La Sardane, who was trailing Arms Runner, tripped over the fallen horse but got back up unhurt. Arms Runner was euthanized, according to Dr. Rick Arthur, equine medical director of the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB). Jockeys Martin Pedroza, aboard Arms Runner, and Ruben Fuentes suffered minor bumps and bruises. Fuentes was taken off his remaining mounts but Pedroza returned to riding. Advertisement “While this incident happened during competition on a track that has been deemed by independent experts to be safe,” Santa Anita said in a statement, “we are working closely with the [CHRB] to understand if there was anything additional that we could have done to prevent [Sunday’s] tragedy.” The accident occurred on a unique grass course, which starts at the top of a hill, includes a slight right turn and at the bottom has an 80-foot dirt crossing over the dirt track before returning to grass. Arms Runner was a few strides from returning to the grass when he fell. Arms Runner is trained by Peter Miller and owned by Rockingham Ranch in Sherman Oaks. Santa Anita had reopened Friday after closing from its four-day-a-week racing schedule as track operators tried to figure out what was causing the deaths. Despite extensive testing of the dirt course, no known cause was found for the increase in breakdowns, although there was speculation that excessive rain might have played a role. Sign up for our horse racing newsletter » Ten of the fatalities have occurred during training on the main dirt track. There have been seven deaths racing on the dirt. Even though this fatality occurred on dirt, it would be categorized as a turf, or grass, fatality. Since the day after Princess Lili B became the 22nd fatality on March 14, when she broke both front legs in training, there had been 2,483 timed workouts without a life-ending breakdown. There were no incidents in Friday’s racing when 62 horses ran or on Saturday when 84 ran. Sunday’s incident was in the fourth of a nine-race card. There were no other accidents the rest of the card, although a rider was unseated in the eighth race. Not just Santa Anita, but the entire sport has been under siege from animal rights advocates who have gotten the attention of the general public because of the number of equine deaths. Advertisement In an effort to boost public confidence, Belinda Stronach, chief executive officer of the Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita, Golden Gate Fields and other tracks, announced an initiative that would eventually eliminate race-day medication, including Lasix, which helps horses breathe. The measure was approved by the CHRB on Thursday and implemented Friday. The United States and Canada are the only countries that allow race-day medication. The newest rule cut in half the amount of Lasix that can be given on race day. Horses that start racing next year will not be allowed to use Lasix on race day. Stronach Group also put into motion a rule that would outlaw the use of a riding crop, or whip, except in the cases where a horse or jockey’s safety was involved. It has many regulatory hurdles to clear before it can be enacted, although it should happen by the end of the year. However, neither of these measures can be directly tied to having caused any of the recent deaths. Advertisement “Over the past two weeks, thoroughbred owners and trainers and the [CHRB] have argued about medications, whipping and the public perception of horse racing,” said Kathy Guillermo, senior vice president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. “But they did not take every measure needed to protect the horses. “All drugs need to banned entirely, and the known safest racing surface — a synthetic track — must be used.” Guillermo also called upon Gov. Gavin Newsom to form an independent panel to investigate training and veterinary practices. “If the CHRB does not take every possible action to protect the horses, then racing should not be allowed to continue,” Guillermo said. Advertisement Santa Anita’s sister track, Golden Gate Fields in the Bay Area, uses a synthetic surface called Tapeta. According to the latest records available, Golden Gate has had five deaths compared to the 23 at Santa Anita. Santa Anita had a synthetic surface called Cushion Track from 2007 to 2010. It was beset with drainage problems; the summer weather would heat the surface to well more than 100 degrees, and particles were often seen floating in the air after horses ran on it. Del Mar also had a synthetic track but dropped it, too. Tim Ritvo, chief operating officer of the Stronach Group, was asked earlier in the week if synthetics were in Santa Anita’s future because of the much lower mortality rates. “Statistically they are better, but there are other kind of injuries people have told us,” Ritvo said, such as soft-tissue injuries. “But by getting to [international standards] we should be able to bring those [fatality] numbers down even below synthetics.” Advertisement It’s unclear how much Sunday’s death will ratchet up the already high amount of animus toward the sport. Both Ritvo and Rick Baedeker, executive director of the CHRB, have publicly talked about the concern of a possible ballot initiative to end horse racing. The public are “the ones that go to Sacramento, and they are the ones that come out and vote and can end our sport,” Ritvo said last week. “There are more of them than there are customers, unfortunately.<doc-sep>Changes announced in wake of the deaths of 22 horses (CNN) — Racing resumed Friday at Santa Anita Park after 22 horses died this season. Racing at the Southern California park had only resumed Friday, after more than three weeks of closure. After nearly two dozen horses died at Santa Anita Park since December 26, it closed to racing on March 5. In response to the spate of deaths, the park’s owner, the Stronach Group announced rules that limited the use of whips and banned the use of nearly all medication on race day. After the changes were approved by the California Horse Racing Board, they went into effect when Santa Anita re-opened Friday. But on Sunday, a race horse named Arms Runner fell and collided with another horse at the dirt crossing during the San Simeon Stakes. Arms Runner’s injury was fatal. The other horse, La Sardane was not injured, according to a Santa Anita Park statement. “While this incident happened during competition on a track that has been deemed by independent experts to be safe, we are working closely with the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) to understand if there was anything additional that we could have done to prevent today’s tragedy,” according to the park’s statement. “Today’s incident speaks to the larger issue of catastrophic injuries in horse racing that The Stronach Group together with our industry stakeholders are working to solve throughout California and across the country,” it stated. The deaths of nearly two dozen horses have been baffling. Many people connected with the park believe that rain has been a factor in the horses’ deaths, but not all agree why. Southern California had its wettest winter in almost a decade. Last month, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office assigned investigators to look into the horse deaths. PETA said Sunday that the racing board, horse owners and trainers hadn’t done enough. “They did not take every measure needed to protect the horses,” said Kathy Guillermo, PETA senior vice president in a statement. She pointed to the drug Lasix, a diuretic that is permitted at Santa Anita at lower than previous levels and will eventually be phased out. “All drugs need to be banned entirely, and the known-safest racing surface – a synthetic track – must be used,” Guillermo said. She also called on California Governor Gavin Newsom to form an independent panel to investigate the training and veterinary practices in California racing. CNN’s Stephanie Becker, Amir Vera and Jay Croft contributed to this report.<doc-sep>Associated Press ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — A two-horse spill in the $100,000 San Simeon Stakes at Santa Anita on Sunday led to the 23rd equine fatality at the Southern California track in just over three months. Arms Runner injured his right front leg and fell in the Grade 3 race on turf, two days after Santa Anita reopened to racing after being closed for nearly a month. That caused a trailing horse, La Sardane, to fall. The 5-year-old mare got back on her feet and didn't appear to sustain any injuries. Jockey Ruben Fuentes didn't ride the rest of the day. Fuentes was a late replacement for scheduled rider Joel Rosario. Arms Runner was tended to by track veterinarians and vanned off. Track stewards said the horse trained by Peter Miller was euthanized. Arms Runner had three wins in 13 career starts and earnings of $125,292, according to Equibase. Jockey Martin Pedroza, aboard Arms Runner, rode later in the day. The accident occurred as the horses crossed the dirt surface during the transition from the hillside turf course to the main turf course. MORE:As Santa Anita quietly searches for answers, trainers and jockeys need to run The majority of the fatalities at the Arcadia track since Dec. 26 have occurred on the main dirt surface. The rest of the nine-race card was completed after the accident. The track closed March 3 so officials could inspect and renovate the dirt surface after the series of fatalities that have drawn national attention outside the sport and criticism from animal rights groups. Track officials have not announced a singular cause for the unusual number of deaths. The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita, announced an immediate reduction in the amount of anti-bleeding medication Lasix allowed on race days. The California Horse Racing Board approved the measure and it took effect Friday. A proposed rule that would eliminate the use of whips, except in cases where a horse's or jockey's safety is involved, still requires the approval of various state agencies.<doc-sep>
A two-horse spill in the $100,000 San Simeon Stakes at Santa Anita has led to the 23rd equine fatality at the Southern California track. Arms Runner injured his right front leg and fell in the Grade 3 race on turf Sunday, two days after Santa Anita reopened to racing after being closed for nearly a month. “While this incident happened during competition on a track that has been deemed by independent experts to be safe,” Santa Anita said in a statement obtained by The Los Angeles Times, "we are working closely with the [CHRB] to understand if there was anything additional that we could have done to prevent [Sunday’s] tragedy." GRAPHIC VIDEO WARNING That caused a trailing horse, La Sardane, to fall. The 5-year-old mare got back on her feet and didn't appear to sustain any injuries. Jockey Ruben Fuentes didn't ride the rest of the day. Arms Runner was tended to by track veterinarians and vanned off. Track stewards said the horse was euthanized. The accident occurred as the horses crossed the dirt surface during the transition from the hillside turf course to the main turf course. Since the winter meet began, seven of the deaths occurred during races on the dirt oval, five on the turf track, and nine during training on dirt. The highest-profile horse to be euthanized was Battle of Midway, winner of the 2017 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. The 5-year-old bay also finished third in the 2017 Kentucky Derby for Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. The horse suffered injuries during a workout on Feb. 23. GET THE FOX NEWS APP Lets Light the Way, a 4-year-old filly, was euthanized after shattering the sesamoid, a bone that provides anchor points for the two branches of the suspensory ligament, in her front right leg during training on Tuesday. Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally purchased the filly for $15,000. The Associated Press contributed to this report