Following the deaths of 21 horses, Santa Anita racetrack suspends races

The Santa Anita racetrack in Southern California has canceled horse racing indefinitely following the deaths of 21 horses since Dec. 26, the Los Angeles Times reports.

In total, nine horses have died while training on Santa Anita's main dirt track, seven while racing on the dirt track, and five while racing on the turf track. On Tuesday morning, 4-year-old Lets Light the Way injured her front leg while training and was euthanized when it was determined she could not be saved.

"Something is drastically wrong," trainer Art Sherman told the Times. "I've been around a long time and have never seen this. There's something wrong in the foundation or something is not right. The only way to find out is shut it down."

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A former track superintendent was hired Tuesday to study the track surface in an attempt to determine why so many horses have died in a little over two months. Last week, the University of Kentucky's Mick Peterson, an expert on surfaces, tested the Santa Anita track and did not find any irregularities.

Two races were previously scheduled for Saturday — the San Felipe, for 3-year-old Kentucky Derby hopefuls, and the Santa Anita Handicap — but have now been canceled.