Third horse dies at Del Mar during training exercise

DEL MAR, Calif. — A third horse died at Del Mar during a training exercise Monday morning, according to the California Horse Racing Board. 

Bowl of Soul, a three-year-old filly trained by Bob Baffert and owned by Spendthrift Farm, sustained an injury to her right hind fetlock while training Monday morning, July 29, at Del Mar, necessitating euthanasia that same morning, according to Mike Marten with the California Horse Racing Board.

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RELATED: Del Mar racetrack addresses horse fatalities saying 2 deaths were an accident

Nearly two weeks ago, two horses died at the Del Mar Fairgrounds race track after colliding during a training session.

The two horses, three-year-old Carson Valley and two-year-old Charge A Bunch, collided after Charge A Bunch unseated jockey Geovanni Franco, then turned sharply and ran in the wrong direction before colliding with Carson Valley, who was training alongside two other horses, and completing a workout for jockey Assael Espinoza

RELATED: Del Mar Thoroughbred Club says safety a top priority as racing season kicks off

The horse deaths come at a time when the public is now paying a closer attention to horse racing after the deaths at racetracks – including the devastating winter season that left dozens of horses dead at Santa Anita.

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Statement:

"In conjunction with the state of California, Del Mar has instituted reforms and implemented policies to create the safest environment possible for racing and training on its grounds. These policies have resulted in the track being recognized as among the safest in the country."

The statement below is from PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo:  

"Del Mar needs to come clean on the deaths of horses as soon as they occur. Whistleblowers alerted PETA to the death of the 3-year-old filly Bowl of Soul. The days when victims of racing were merely statistics within the industry are over. Excuses for fatal injuries such as "twisted ankles" and "freak accidents" must be dropped along with the veil of secrecy. Bowl of Soul's death must be thoroughly investigated, and the results—including medication and workout records—must be released publicly so that bettors and others know what's what. Anything less is a cover-up and can't be tolerated."