PETA Statement: Sen. Feinstein's Call for the Closure of Santa Anita Racetrack

PETA Statement: Sen. Feinstein’s Call for the Closure of Santa Anita Racetrack

For Immediate Release:
April 3, 2019

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Arcadia, Calif. –

Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo regarding Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s call for the suspension of racing at Santa Anita racetrack:

Sen. Feinstein’s call for the suspension of racing is welcome and sensible and should be nationwide to end the bloodbath in every racing state. The California Horse Racing Board should use the down time to make truly meaningful changes. As PETA has said from the start, all drugs—including Lasix, which slows bone healing—must be banned for at least two weeks before racing and training. If horses need therapeutic medications, they shouldn’t be running. High-quality synthetic tracks are known to be safer and must be installed. The board must ban trainers who drug horses instead of assessing paltry fines. Horse racing has many more problems that need attention, but without these essential changes, horses will continue to die—something neither the public nor PETA will tolerate.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.