Seven horses die in a stable in Los Alamitos due to a viral disease

Six horses in Los Alamitos were euthanized Wednesday and Thursday after an outbreak of equine infectious anemia (EIA) at trainer Heath Taylor's stable. A seventh was euthanized on September 24th.

EIA is an incurable disease that usually results in euthanasia. Horses with EIA usually have the virus for the rest of their lives, which means endless quarantine or euthanasia.

All of those affected were Quarter Horses.

The first horse diagnosed with the disease was Bullet Train V, an Oklahoma-bred horse, on September 24th. The two-year-old colt was winless in two starts, neither at Los Alamitos nor at Los Alamitos, after finishing third in an All American Future in Albuquerque, NM

Following notification, the horse was euthanized and nine horses handled by Taylor were quarantined. As usual, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) was assigned responsibility for the situation and subsequent investigation. EIA is not limited to the US but is a problem worldwide.

The three remaining horses that were quarantined tested negative for disease. They will remain in quarantine and will be tested again in two months.

EIA is caused by insects, usually flies.

Other horses that were euthanized included:

• Opt In, a 3-year-old gelding who won once in eight starts, last year at an All American Futurity test. His last race was a seventh place finish in an acceptance race at Los Alamitos on September 15th.
• El Vencedor V, a two-year-old gelding, won three of four races, including a victory in an Al American Futurity test. He never ran in Los Alamitos.
• Amore for a Reason, a three-year-old filly, won three of eight games, including a seventh in the All American Oaks final for two-year-old fillies.
• Goodtyme, a 3-year-old gelding who won three of nine races. His final race was a fourth-place finish in an All-American Futurity race, where he finished fourth.
• Other Assaultt, a two-year-old colt, was winless in four starts.
• The Marksman V, a 3-year-old gelding who was 4:10 and 3:4 this year. His final race came on September 2nd with a fourth place finish in the All American Derby in Albuquerque.

Taylor has had six fatalities since 2000, according to California Horse Racing Board records supplemented by The Times. He also suffered a sudden death during training.

Los Alamitos hosts a quarter horse and thoroughbred meet throughout the year, consisting in part of lower level Thoroughbreds. To date, there have been eight deaths on the track during racing or training due to a musculoskeletal disorder and one sudden death during training. The Times' reports on horse deaths generally do not take into account illnesses or injuries outside of racing.

In 2019, Taylor was restored to good standing in Louisiana following a drug violation in 2012 involving the drug Dermorphin, a painkiller known as frog juice because it comes from secretions of South American tree frogs. Taylor served three years and nine months before being reinstated.

Racing at Los Alamitos takes place every Friday and Saturday.