Death of a horse is the fourth death at the Pleasanton race track

Racehorses undergo early morning exercise before a day of racing begins on the dirt track at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif., on Thursday, June 27, 2019. (Photo by Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

(BCN) — A four-year-old horse died Sunday after a race at the Pleasanton Fairgrounds, according to an animal rights group.

The organization Kill Racing Not Horses said the California Authority of Racing Fairs confirmed that a racehorse, a gelding named Toppers Wager, died “without euthanasia” at the racetrack after a collision with another horse.

“Toppers Wager came up on #1 Goodbye Kai and collided with his heels,” Larry Swartzlander, executive director of the CA Authority of Racing Fairs, was quoted as saying. “I spoke to the state veterinarian at about 8:30 p.m. and he said Toppers Wager most likely broke his neck and died at the track before the attending veterinarian could do anything.”

According to reports, a jockey was injured in the collision.

According to Kill Racing Not Horses, Toppers Wager’s death is the 44th reported fatal horse accident at California horse tracks in 2024. It is also reportedly the fourth horse death at this year’s Alameda County Fair horse races at Pleasanton Race Track.

“No serious sport would tolerate the deaths of 44 athletes in 26 weeks of competition in just one state (California), let alone the deaths of 4 athletes in 4 weeks of competition in just one location (Pleasanton Racetrack/Alameda County Fair Horse Races),” the group said.

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