Horse dies after being injured during a race at the Big Fresno Fair

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Authorities are investigating the death of a 5-year-old racehorse at the Big Fresno Fair.

This is the fair's first racehorse death in nearly 20 years.

According to officials, the horse named “Cry Me a Runner” fell to the finish line in one piece during a horse race Sunday at the Big Fresno Fair.

The rider is fine, but the horse had to be put down because of the injury it sustained in the fall.

“It should never be OK for a horse to die on a racetrack,” said Kathy Guillermo, senior vice president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Guillermo says five is the average age for an equestrian athlete, but recovering from wounds is difficult.

“When injuries occur, this often means the horse can never be ridden again and this is due to the medications given to treat these injuries rather than giving the horses adequate time to recover from the stress and strain “a race and training,” said Guillermo.

Larry Swartzlander, executive director of the California Authority of Racing Fairs (CARF) and racing director at The Big Fresno Fair, sent Action News a statement and wrote:

“In the second race on Sunday, horse number four – Cry Me a Runner – stumbled in the long run to the finish line and threw her jockey off the field. The jockey was examined by medical professionals and found to be uninjured. The horse was transported by horse.” Unfortunately, he had to be euthanized due to the injury sustained during the race. It is unfortunate and sad when you lose an equestrian athlete. The track here at the Big Fresno Fair has one of the best safety records due to the extensive work put into the racing surface and expert veterinary teams. This was certainly rare in Fresno.

According to the California Horse Racing Authority, 16 horses have died while racing across the state this year.

“Fortunately, since 2019, when there were dozens of horse deaths, California has been a leader in implementing changes to protect horses. The mortality rate there is lower than many other states, but it's not yet 0, and they really need to get down to 0,” Guillermo said.

This is the first time the Big Fresno Fair will host 14 days of live horse racing, doubling the number of races compared to last year.

Racing continues this Friday, October 4th.

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