Horse dies on racetrack at Alameda County Fair after collision, 1 of 4 deaths reported at fair

A 4-year-old horse died after it raced Sunday at the Pleasanton Fairgrounds Racetrack, according to an animal rights group.

The Kill Racing Not Horses organization said that the California Authority of Racing Fairs confirmed that a racehorse, a gelding named Toppers Wager, died on the track “without euthanization” after a collision with another horse.

“Toppers Wager came up on #1 Goodbye Kai and clipped heels,” Larry Swartzlander, Executive Director of the CA Authority of Racing Fairs, was cited as saying. “I spoke to the State Veterinarian around 8:30 (p.m.) and he stated that the Toppers Wager most likely fractured his neck and passed on the track before the attending vet could do anything.”

A jockey was reportedly injured following the collision.

Kill Racing Not Horses said Toppers Wager’s death is the 44th horse fatality reported on California horse racing tracks in 2024. It is also reportedly the fourth horse death in this year’s Alameda County Fair Horse Races at the Pleasanton Racetrack.

“No legitimate sport would tolerate the deaths of 44 of its athletes in 26 weeks of competition in just 1 state (California), much less 4 deaths of its athletes in 4 weeks of competition in just 1 venue (Pleasanton Racetrack/Alameda County Fair Horse Races),” the group said.