A 2-year-old colt who ran in the Breeders’ Cup collapsed onto the turf during the $75,000-added Eddie Logan Stakes Sunday at Santa Anita Park and was euthanized a short time later, the first fatality of the track’s winter/spring meeting, one day after it began.
“During race 3 at Santa Anita Park, Ebeko sustained an injury to his left front leg. Ebeko was immediately attended to by track veterinarians and triaged on the turf course. Given the extent of the fracture and the nature of the injury, it was unfortunately determined that it was an unrecoverable injury,” Santa Anita announced.
Ebeko was the co-third choice at 4-1 in the field of seven 2-year-olds, but he ran far behind the field and was last throughout the mile race before suffering the injury at the top of the lane, falling face-first into the turf.
Ebeko was trained by Peter Miller, and was ridden Sunday by Joel Rosario. Rosario was examined by Santa Anita’s first-aid staff and although he missed the fourth race, he was cleared to ride the remainder of the afternoon.
Ebeko will undergo a necropsy at UC Davis’ school of veterinary medicine, as is mandatory for all on-track fatalities.
“The accident and the necropsy report will be reviewed by a team to learn what, if anything, could have been done to have prevented the accident,” Santa Anita said.
The Irish-bred Ebeko was making his eighth start. He ran his first three races in Ireland, finishing first once and second twice. Ebeko made his U.S. debut in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf Stakes on Sept. 7, finishing second. Ebeko won the Zuma Beach Stakes on Oct. 4 at Santa Anita and was ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf on Nov. 6 at the Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky.
Ebeko was fourth in the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes on Nov. 29 at Del Mar, his final race before Sunday.
Ebeko won twice and was second twice with career earnings of $122,930.
Santa Anita debuted a new turf course chute on Saturday, but the Eddie Logan Stakes did not take place on that course, according to track publicist Mike Willman.
The track had an opening day record pari-mutuel handle on Saturday, despite fans being barred from attending due to the coronavirus pandemic. More than $23 million was bet on the 11-race card on the Arcadia track’s 84th opening day, breaking the previous record of $20,491,016 set on Dec. 26, 2018, also for an 11-race card.
Santa Anita had no racing or training fatalities during its 16-day autumn meet, which concluded Oct. 25. Sixteen horses died in racing or training-related incidents during Santa Anita’s 2019-20 winter/spring meet, which ended June 21.
The unraced 2-year-old filly Penelope Rose fractured her right front humerus while galloping during a workout at Santa Anita on Dec. 16 and was euthanized.