The death comes one day after Santa Anita announced it was closing the track on Monday and Tuesday to do surface and soil sampling to try and determine whether there was some irregularity that was causing the breakdowns. However, some trainers, including Hall of Famers Bob Baffert and Jerry Hollendorfer, objected to the closure and Tim Ritvo, chief operating officer of The Stronach Group, reversed his decision and agreed to allow the track to be open Monday until 9 a.m. Those trainers said they believed the track was safe.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 26, 2019 02:26 UTC