Prosecutor's task force to probe horse deaths at Santa Anita

FILE - In this Oct. 30, 2013 file photo, an exercise rider takes a horse for a workout at Santa Anita Park with palm trees and the San Gabriel Mountains as a backdrop in Arcadia, Calif. A person with direct knowledge of the situation says a 21st horse has died at Santa Anita. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Tuesday, March 5, 2019, because the fatality has not been announced publicly. A total of 21 horses have died since the racetrack's winter meet began on Dec. 26. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
FILE - In this Oct. 30, 2013 file photo, an exercise rider takes a horse for a workout at Santa Anita Park with palm trees and the San Gabriel Mountains as a backdrop in Arcadia, Calif. A person with direct knowledge of the situation says a 21st horse has died at Santa Anita. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Tuesday, March 5, 2019, because the fatality has not been announced publicly. A total of 21 horses have died since the racetrack's winter meet began on Dec. 26. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles County's top prosecutor says she's formed a task force to investigate 23 horse deaths at Santa Anita Park between December and March.
District Attorney Jackie Lacey said Tuesday the task force of prosecutors and peace officers will "determine whether unlawful conduct or conditions affected the welfare and safety" of the horses.
Lacey's office had previously said its investigators would work with the California Horse Racing Board as that body looks into the deaths.
Santa Anita says it's cooperating and "is fully committed to modernizing our sport in a way that prioritizes the welfare and safety of horses above all."
Kathy Guillermo, senior vice president for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, lauded the announcement, adding: "The racing industry has shown that it's incapable of policing itself."

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