Official: Santa Anita cancels racing after 21 horse deaths

Santa Anita has canceled racing indefinitely to re-examine its dirt surface after the deaths of 21 horses in the last two months.

Chief operating officer of The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita, Tim Ritvo told The Associated Press 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.

Ritvo wouldn't speculate on when training and racing would resume. After this weekend, races were to be run again starting March 14 at the storied racetrack that will host the Breeders' Cup world championships for a record 10th time this fall.

Ritvo says "in whole, we feel confident in the track and we're just being very proactive. We want to do all the testing that needs to be done. When we believe we're in good shape, we'll start to train over it again."

The Daily Racing Form first reported the cancellation.

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