A 6-year-old gelding was euthanized after fracturing his right front ankle in a race at Santa Anita Park, the 40th horse death at the Arcadia track since December 2018.
Harliss finished seventh in a field of eight in the seventh race Friday, was unsaddled nearing the clubhouse turn and vanned off, according to Santa Anita. He was euthanized under the recommendation from the attending veterinarian.
Harliss was third both a quarter-mile and three-eighths of a mile in the 5 1/2-furlong race on Santa Anita’s turf course, then dropped to fourth entering the stretch.
Harliss was coming off the lone victory in his 12-race career, finishing first in a 5 1/2-furlong race on Los Alamitos Race Course Dec. 6. His career earnings were $23,026.
A necropsy will be performed as required by the California Horse Racing Board.
The death was the second among the 705 horses who have raced at Santa Anita’s winter/spring meeting, which began Dec. 28. The 4-year-old gelding Golden Birthday sustained a hind pastern fracture with sesamoid involvement in a mile-and-and-eighth race on the turf course New Year’s Day and was euthanized upon the recommendation of veterinarians.
Officials with Santa Anita Park or its parent company, The Stronach Group, have not commented.