Another horse has died while training at Los Alamitos Race Course.
Call Sign Lucky was a 3-year-old gelding who had seven races and two second-place finishes to his credit. He died Saturday, according to the California Horse Racing Board, which listed “accident” for cause of death.
“Call Lucky Sign threw his rider pulling up after a gallop and ran loose on the track. He attempted to jump the rail when he sustained a (compound ) fracture of his left cannon bone,” Mike Marten, the CHRB’s public information officer, told City News Service on Tuesday.
Los Alamitos officials did not respond to a request for comment.
Call Sign Lucky is the fifth horse to die while training at Los Alamitos since the CHRB granted the track a one-year license to continue conducting quarter horse racing in January.
Los Alamitos was briefly placed on probation by the CHRB on July 10, 2020 due to a spate of racehorse deaths. At that time at least 20 horses had died at the track in 2020 after suffering racing or training injuries, and another 10 had succumbed to gastrointestinal and other types of illnesses.
The Cypress track reopened to fans for live nighttime racing on Friday, one day before the latest death, as restrictions on live attendance at sporting events were eased amid the state’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Fans are now able to access the Vessels Club and mezzanine patio and terrace plus outdoor grandstand apron areas. Indoor wagering and seating facilities remain closed until further notice.
Call Sign Lucky was owned by Glen Road Racing LLC, HorseShare LLC and Angel D. Valadez and trained by O.J. Jauregui, according to the industry website Equibase.