71 Horse Deaths in California, Including One Today on the Eve of the Breeders’ Cup: PETA Statement

For Immediate Release:
October 31, 2023

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo regarding the Breeders’ Cup World Championships this weekend at Santa Anita Park and the dozens of horse deaths in California, including that of Practical Move just this morning:

With the Breeders’ Cup in just a few days, PETA is deeply disturbed by the carnage in California horse racing—just this morning, Practical Move, who was slated to race this weekend, collapsed and died, and at least 71 horses have died so far this year. While California has led the way in passing measures to protect horses, it has stopped far short of all that is needed, beginning with the immediate suspension of the trainer when a horse dies and the installation of low-radiation, standing CT imaging equipment that can be used to screen horses. Either the fatalities end or racing must.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.