DEATH RACE: WHO’S KILLING SANTA ANITA’S THOROUGHBREDS?

In the Fall of 2019, Town & Country magazine dispatched Feature Well Productions co-founder Alex Bhattacharji to Santa Anita Park. The storied racetrack just northeast of Los Angeles had emerged as the epicenter of a crisis that shook the world of thoroughbred racing. Within six months, 34 horses died, prompting public outcry, governmental scrutiny, and a blame game among the warring members of the Stronach family, the track’s politically connected billionaire owners. Many of the horse deaths were the result of repetitive stress injuries, but what was the underlying cause? Track maintenance? Training practices? Were the horses being overworked and doped?

The epidemic of deaths at Santa Anita highlighted systemic issues within thoroughbred racing, from regulatory gaps to the commodification of racehorses. As the Breeders’ Cup World Championships approached, the world watched closely, questioning the sport's future.

While many journalists focused only on the narrow policy questions, Alex zeroed in on the root cause, a Succession-esque family drama. The stakes couldn’t have been higher: the Stronachs, the largest private race track owners in the United States, were battling over control of a family empire worth billions. The future of horse racing hung in the balance. Were the killed horses just collateral damage of a father-daughter war?

Somehow, Alex got inside all of it: The boardroom. The stables. The family conflict.

As we enter Triple Crown season, revisit this gripping report on a scandal still unfolding in the shadows: "Death at Santa Anita." You can read it HERE.

They Kill Horses, Don’t They?