Pets

Racehorse Dies At Alameda County Fairgrounds

A 4-year-old thoroughbred that died Friday at the Alameda County Fairgrounds was the state's 31st racehorse fatality of the season.

Horses race at Golden Gate Fields on Jan. 12, 2008.
Horses race at Golden Gate Fields on Jan. 12, 2008. (Photo courtesy of Ian Ransley)

PLEASANTON, CA — A 4-year-old thoroughbred that died Friday at the Alameda County Fairgrounds was the state's 31st racehorse fatality of the season, according to California Horse Racing Board data.

The cause of death for Rio King is still pending, according to the board. He was the first horse death reported this year at the racetrack in Pleasanton.

Eight horses have died at Golden Gate Fields in Berkeley in the 22 weeks so far of the 2023 racing season. Santa Anita Park in Arcadia has recorded the most deaths, 13, in the season that began Dec. 26.

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Rio King's last race was at Golden Gate Fields on May 29.

Rio King had finished first in three out of six starts in 2023, earning $101,450, according to the racing website Equibase.com.

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