Horse dies after injury during Big Fresno Fair racing

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Authorities are investigating the decease of a five-year-old racehorse astatine the Big Fresno Fair.

This is the fair's archetypal racehorse decease successful astir 20 years.

Officials accidental the equine named 'Cry Me a Runner' went tumbling down successful a agelong to the decorativeness enactment during 1 of the equine races Sunday astatine the Big Fresno Fair.

The rider is okay, but the equine had to beryllium euthanized owed to the wounded it suffered erstwhile it fell.

"It should ne'er beryllium good for a equine to dice astatine a racetrack," said People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Senior Vice President, Kathy Guillermo.

Guillermo says 5 is an mean property for an equine athlete, but its hard to retrieve from wounds.

"Often with injuries that means that the equine tin ne'er beryllium ridden again, and that is due to the fact that of medicine that's fixed to them to woody with these injuries, alternatively of allowing the horses to person capable clip disconnected to recuperate from the accent and the strain of a contention and training," said Guillermo.

Larry Swartzlander, the enforcement manager of the California Authority of Racing Fairs (CARF) and racing manager astatine The Big Fresno Fair, sent Action News a statement, writing:

"In the 2nd contention connected Sunday, the fig 4 equine - Cry Me a Runner - stumbled successful the agelong tally to the decorativeness line, unseating her jockey. The jockey was evaluated by aesculapian professionals and was deemed unharmed. The equine was transported via equine ambulance and unluckily owed to the wounded sustained during the race, had to beryllium euthanized. It is unfortunate and bittersweet anytime you suffer an equine athlete. The way present astatine The Big Fresno Fair has 1 of the champion information records owed to the extended enactment enactment into the contention aboveground and adept aesculapian veterinary teams. This was surely a uncommon occurrence successful Fresno."

According to the California equine racing board, 16 horses person died during races crossed the authorities this year.

"California, Fortunately, since 2019, erstwhile determination were truthful galore dozens of deaths of horses, has been a person successful making changes that volition support horses. They person a little decease complaint than galore different States, but they're not astatine 0 yet, and they truly request to get down to 0," said Guillermo.

This is the archetypal clip the Big Fresno just has had 14 days of unrecorded equine racing, doubling the magnitude of races from past year.

Races proceed this Friday, October 2nd.

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