A recent FOIA request to the California Horse Racing Board revealed harrowing details about several racehorse deaths in California last year, highlighting severe and catastrophic injuries sustained by young horses. For example, Ransom Call, a four-year-old, suffered multiple complete and displaced fractures in his right hindlimb, following a history of bilateral tibia fractures the previous year, ultimately leading to his death shortly after returning to work. Similarly, Cry Me a Runner, aged five, endured catastrophic fetlock failure with multiple open fractures, torn ligaments, and osteochondral disease in both front limbs.

Another case involved Kavorka, a three-year-old who experienced severely comminuted fractures in multiple phalanges and a complete joint capsule tear, alongside osteochondral disease in both hind limbs. These reports underscore the brutal physical toll and frequent catastrophic injuries racehorses endure, raising serious ethical concerns about the treatment and welfare of these animals in the racing industry.