Horse Dies At Golden Gate Fields Ahead Of Resumption Of Live Races Next Week

BERKELEY (CBS SF) -- A thoroughbred has died at Golden Gate Fields in Berkeley during training activity Friday, the latest in a series of horse deaths at racing facilities in California.

The death comes two days after Golden Gate Fields received approval from Alameda County health authorities to resume live racing beginning on May 14. Horse racing was suspended last month in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Friday's death of Arky Vaughn, a three-year-old gelding, was listed on the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) website. A CHRB spokesman would not comment on the death of the horse, but offered a list of the state's safety measures designed to protect racehorses in the state.

The Stronach Group, which owns Golden Gate Fields, did not immediately offer a comment on the death.

Live racing will resume at Golden Gate without spectators. As of Wednesday, protocols were finalized with county officials and will be released in the coming days, along with the schedule of races.

The horse-racing industry is facing harsh scrutiny over the number of horse deaths in both California and nationwide. There have been dozens of horse deaths at both Golden Gate Fields and Santa Anita in Southern California since last year, as well as a federal probe of trainers and veterinarians accused of being involved in a widespread international scheme to drug horses to make them race faster.